


A Monster From The Surface

by LionTheKing



Series: A New Player [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Cinnamon Roll Papyrus, Eventual Smut, Feelings, Fluff, It's Chara, Missing Persons, Moar hoomans!, Multi, No Sex, Other, Pain, Prepare yourself for the feel train!, Secret closet fluff, Sinnamon Roll Sans, Sorry Not Sorry, be patient with me, did i say happy bits? I meant death everywhere!, guess who's back?, it gets sooooooooooooooooooooo much worse, lots of dark shit, lots of death, okay so you're good at some stuff, reader becomes traumatized, shipping happens later, somebody will get frisky, the closet WILL be used for something frisky, there is no happy ending, weird shit happens, with a side platter of more feels and darkness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-16 21:14:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 80,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7285009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LionTheKing/pseuds/LionTheKing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So maybe you were too kind. The world pummeled you over and over again. When a chance for freedom arises you take it and it gets you pushed down a mountain. For what purpose, you were following your parents will. Then again, they weren't the brightest bunch to begin with... How will the monster kingdom react to a monster from the surface?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Escaping The Basement

**Author's Note:**

> In this story, you are a monster child, somewhere in your teen years. You don't know what the monsters under the mountain are like, and you are utterly alone in this world. Yes, the monster child (you) has already been decided.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ADVENTURE!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 9/21/16: If you haven't read any bit of this story ( or if you already HAVE ), there's a more corrected and less cringy version on Fanfiction.net. It doesn't have every chapter on there though, so you'll have to be patient. I'll update THERE twice a day or eight to twelve times a week. Sixteen if I'm feeling up to it! Until next time!

‘Stay At Home’, They Said

Exactly, what they were looking for was always unsaid as they refused to say it, let alone write the damn sentence on a piece of paper. They weren’t sure either. What made them run up the side of a mountain, in the middle of the day, after ,what, blowing up two people? The human race could spare a few. That was where it started, after all. Weird ass kid. So… here we go…  
It was a particular night, kept in the basement, the family of mice in the wall squalling over the unwelcomed spiders that seemed to just force their way in. Hasty cracks ran up and down the sides of the cobblestone walls, dripping cold water and some brown goo in which the smell was indescribable. The hard cold floor was even rougher and the dust that whipped around your feet when they moved was no stranger to the mess. Old bookcases littered the wall with some ancient textbooks, here and there. A single window was there. Tried and true, escaping would only get you another beating. You gave a high sigh, wrapping your tiny arms further around your body, cherishing what little body heat you had. It was dark. It was always dark. They only came in to feed you once a week, maybe two if the favor was successfully completed.  
Cloudy amber eyes, slitted against the sudden light under the door, gave a small hiss of discomfort. They were coming. Standing up stock still, with hands, always open, against your thighs, you waited silently, ears flattened. Only bad things could come. They never fed the you twice unless it was mentioned during the first feeding. It wasn’t.

“Burk, I don’t necc- Look I’m not here to argue with you! Jer, open the door, hon. I won’t have you leeching off my daughter when she’s already at rock bottom!” With a click of the lock, the thick oak door swung open with a hearty creak. Strong light from the hallway filtered in to shine on you, nestled in the far corner. You were trembling. Hard. Jeremy, the masculine master of the household stood holding the door for the feminine master. There were two masters. Each had similar strengths. Jeremy, although tall and gangly, knew his way around every tool, and was no stranger to the harsh texture of sandpaper. He eyed your small frame, purposefully avoiding his gaze. You’d wanted nothing more than to cower. He prefered any kind of sexual favor, in which you refused to do. You may be a slave to the two but you weren’t about to do anything of the scandalous kind.  
The mistress on the other hand was to be feared. Her dark grey eyes were always two-faced: bright and happy to her son who didn’t know about the monster child kept in the basement, cold and uncaring to the kid who deserved none of it. The silence set in. Jeremy bowed gracefully at the door, closing and locking you and the mistress inside. Nothing stays really.

“ You’ve still yet to answer me back for my husband's favor, you ungrateful whelp!”

The family who’d kidnapped you eight years ago, valued a monster like your kind. Your soul was significantly stronger than those who’d been sealed under the mountain ages ago. It was the reason why your parents lived so long. They’d murdered countless humans who dared to harm their way of living, their home, their souls. They waited until the humans forgot, which took hundreds of years, never passed down in families. It was then, when the coast was clear, that they had you.  
Their only child, which they wanted to have so badly and after years of waiting, you’d arrived in a messy bundle. You could remember your parents. Even at the young age of six, you were beyond intelligent, your father being a scientist of souls and such and your mother being a former member of the royal guard. Your father taught you how to read and how to do complex mathematical expressions, never settling for the lesser and encouraging you to do your best in everything. Your mother, teaching you to cook and hunt, showing you how to survive amongst a harsh world of the living. The two even showed you their own magic.  
Dad had electricity magic, channeling electricity between his two black paws, the intense, crackling magic always making you singe yourself every once in awhile. Your mother on the other hand, knew a special brand of fire magic. Not just bland fireballs, but huge powerful beasts shaped from the embers of the hottest fires. Her entire aura was intense and training sessions with her always left you gasping for breath. You loved the two of them to death and back, you family being a unique branch of cat monsters after all. Yep, the whole nine lives shabang.  
After the incident, every time you glanced at the sweater, her sweater, you wept a little. The maroon and gold knitted sweater was the only thing left of your parents, the rest charred in the fire. It was way too big for you and drooped beyond your knees, but hey, you felt safer in big things. A vast expanse to hide away from reality. You wished for your parents to come back. They didn’t. The fire had burned them to mere ashes and those to be swept away in the wind. To you, they were never coming back. You waited through rain, wind, heat, and the bowels of nature. But nobody came.  
You never noticed that the humans who committed the murder ( yes it was murder, mom could absorb any fire but human made fire and we didn’t cook with that kind) watched her daily. Until one day that is, after staying awake for more than seventy hours, you fell asleep near the remains of the house. You never noticed when foreign hands picked you up and carried you away to the hell hole that is this basement.  
After the beatings and the abuse with the woodshop tools, you’d learned it’s best to be docile and unwavering. Not that you had Stockholm's or anything. These people who kept you here against their will had almost killed you once or twice. Why they kept you here? Merely because they were bad parents. What they didn’t take out on their son, they took out on you, the monster kid. You loathed them and had tried to escape multiple times. The broken ribs answered your pleas for freedom. But nonetheless, the whip wasn’t going to wait.

… What was it they said? Stay in the basement and make no noise, whatsoever? It was an average day indeed for you. The family had once again warned you of trying to escape and had promptly locked up before taking their son to school. What they failed to remember was the new maid they’d hired that had no idea you were down there. So guess what happened when the careless maid decided to snoop into the basement…

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Claire was the new maid of the house, her kind and caring shtick landing her a concrete job in the household. What killed her most was the tight and dark spaces that the family greatly inconvenienced her with. Going into dark broom closets gave her the chills. Not to mention the so warned basement made her shit her pants. Basements were a no go. Who knows what could be down there?  
Claire was snarky and most of the maids saw through her act, avoiding her and her scolding tongue. She spit at the homeless, stole from the rich, and let's not forget that she once stole a whole shopping cart full of chocolate. Claire was a bad person and she enjoyed every bit of it.  
After touring the house yet again, inspecting every nook and cranny, she scowled and whipped her head around at the stairs.

“You peasants clean the basement?” Small giggles ushered from the top of the stairs, now from the three maids at the overlook.

“Uh, no. We were hoping that you could take care of that for us, Claire.” Louise. The blue-haired bimbo stood mockingly at the top, that bitchy smirk on her face, as always. She always wore her outfit too short giving more pantyshots than needed. She liked to kiss up to male master.

“Yeah! You always get done so fast! We’re still up here laundering the blankets and stuff. If you take care of the basement, we’ll be home free!” Then there was Der, the only male maid in the house. He was a perv, always checking out the mistress, and between breaks, commented on how sexy the mistress was. Crude humor always followed.

Claire flinched. From the corner of her eyes, she spotted the trio smirking at her. Why those little- patience Claire, patience. Forcing a smile, Claire gave a slow nod and slowly turned her head towards the dimly lit hallway. The only one that was yet to be mapped.

“If you’re too scared, I’ll do it for you. Just let me fold these towels.”

“No!”

“Well damn, okay.” Fern, the last maid, was an okay one at that. She was small and quiet, being completely docile in every way. She was the oldest of the maids and had been with the family for years beyond count.

“Sorry, I-I’ll just take care of it.”

“Well alright then, suit yourself.” And with that, the blonde was gone, sauntering down the hallway with a fresh stack of bath towels in tow. Claire breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn’t have those maids look upon her like some lowly peasant. Gathering herself, Claire stole another glance at the dimly lit hallway before striding off towards the broom closet. Candles were one things but flashlights were her ultimate savior. Better take some batteries, just to be sure.  
It wasn’t that Claire was scared of the dark, but she was afraid of what was in it. As a kid, her older brother, whose name escapes her at the moment, always read her horror stories, and forced her to watch bowel evacuating movies of demons and paranormal happenings. Now, she can’t look out the window at night without fearing jumpscares and serial killer looking back at her. What a curse.  
Heels clicking on the hardwood floor, Claire slowly made her way down the hall, her heart beating out of her chest. As she got closer, sweat began to drip down her face, silent tears of fear pooling at the corner of her eyes. She began to tremble when she spotted the door. An old oak door stood at the end, frayed with paint chipping in various places. The crack under the door had been sealed with rubber, for what purpose, she hadn’t a clue. It was now or never…  
Clicking on the flashlight, Claire took the keys out of her pocket. Stalling on which was which, she finally came to the correct key. Inserting the key into the lock, she turned the key, ever so slowly, until the door was unlocked. Upon taking out the keys, she fumbled, dropping them on the ground. Stooping to pick them up, she stared into the darkness, whimpering silently to herself.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hmm, probably some satanic shit going on in here or something. Whatever the hell it is, i’m getting the hell out of here as soon as possible.”  
The clicking of heels and the jangling of keys woke you. You stumbled to your paws, abruptly woken from your crude daydreams of your former fairytales. What? It’s not like you were a kid anymore. You were fourteen for crying out loud. And it’s not like your masters weren’t quiet during their sexual cannodles. Amber eyes searching in the dark, you recognized a scent that didn’t quite match up with the masters. With a click of the lock, the door swung open, faint light filtering into the darkness. Clank. The maid dropped her keys. Heh.

“ Now what’s down here?” The maid, still not recognizing you in the dark stepping straight into the room, missing the light switch next to the door. She was clearly scared, her knees threatening to give out. You stood quietly in the corner. You knew of another maid with blonde hair. That one knew of your presence and did not talk to you but you could clearly see the pity in her eyes.  
On one hand, you could be mistaken and this could be a test by the masters. If you tried to escape, they’d be at the doorway and you’d surely be denied food for a week or so. Perhaps a new woodshop lesson, too. You shivered. Definitely not another one of those. On the other hand, this one was foreign and probably didn’t know you existed. You could easily overtake her with speed, but the other maids could be out there too.  
The maid who’d now taken out a flashlight and began waving it around, had yet to notice you. You’d made your decision. It was now or never. Moving with silence, you’d tiptoed up to the maid, hiding behind her back in waiting. When she was the furthest away from the door, you gave a hearty shove, sending her tumbling into the bookcases. At once, heavy footfalls sounded from above. From upstairs. This could be your only chance. You, not giving any shits, turned around and took off out the door.

“What the hell?” Freedom. Fucking freedom. Pictures of people you couldn’t care less about whipped by, plush carpet pointing your way to freedom. The maids from above were now hollering loudly, trying to throw anything their hands could latch on at you. You dodged the vases and towels, eyes slightly hazy from the sudden movement and bright lights. The front door sat straight ahead, filtering natural light in. It was morning. Nothing could possibly go wrong with this escape. But you were wrong.

You threw open the door, the warm drafts of summer somewhat there as you took off. The driveway flew by, your brown paws slamming against the hard concrete. You long brown hair, that was severely unkempt, shone in the sunlight. You’d stopped to gaze at it. For eight years, you’d waited to see the sunrise again. Eight damn years. Remembering your situation, you barreled down the street, dashing out in front of a car and passing confused onlookers. . The silhouette of Mt. Ebott wasn’t very far.THome was almost within reach. Even as a loud explosion went off behind you and sirens began to blare, you kept running, adrenaline coursing through your body. Finally. Freedom at last.  
The house had had went up in flames, from what, you hadn’t the faintest idea. As for the other thing that exploded, the masters car in which you dashed in front of in your mad pursuit of freedom and glory. The look on the faces as they watched you book it down the street only for them to collide with another car which had such a high momentum going that the two cars just exploded, and you gave no fucks.  
The sound of Ebott City, busy with traffic and the distinct call of mockingbirds made your mad dash home even more renewing. The lush trees of summer that dotted the sidewalk were slowly wilting and falling to their death. Autumn was coming. Taking the time to remember, you slowed, drawing out your souls. Your parents taught you how to do it years ago, the first time comparable to being submerged in icy water. You’d gotten the hang of it soon enough. Strangely enough, you’d been born with a mutation of the soul so you had two. One was a monster soul, being born a monster and all. The other was a human soul, coming from being born on the human surface devoid of a monster presence. Simply put, you were born normal but because your parents were boss monsters who’d killed many humans, during your development you’d absorbed the aura of the human souls giving you another soul to deal with.  
Technically, you could survive with one missing. If your monster soul was taken, you’d be stuck as a human with no magic. If you’re human soul was taken, you’d be stuck as a monster with your physicality all but lost, magic being the only thing keeping you together. However, you prefered to keep both. It made you more powerful than most, being able to draw power from the human soul to power the monster soul. You held your own souls within your paws.  
The human soul was not actually solid, being dense tendrils of golden flames contained by a glassy casing. It gave off a warm glow and made you feel distinctly different. The monster soul was a dark gray which came with the sin of killing humans. Your parents had forgot that it passes down in offspring.  
The masters who were most definitely dead, hadn’t sent out any ‘lookers’ which meant that you could do anything you wanted. So naturally, you returned home. The woods, which were dark and dreary went perfectly with the legends of Mt. Ebott. After all, those who wanted to climb the great peak had to successfully get past the maze that is your home. Of course you grew up here as a kid, so you were a master at mapping out the place. The claw marks on the trees were old and the tree was starting to grow over then. Growling, you unsheathed you claws and dragged them roughly through the tree. It felt heavenly. After years of being dulled, you could finally sharpen your body. And your stomach, because you hadn’t eaten in days. You were slowly strolling, your natural monster body out in the open. The dark pines glistened with morning dew that failed to drop or evaporate. The undergrowth was back at it, bushes growing wildly with unharvested berries ripe for the picking. The fronds never swayed as the wind never reached below the canopies. It was quiet. It hadn’t been quiet, in your sense, for years. There it was. The burning scent of wood. Your home. Your old home, the burned remains standing there, a sad reminder of what used to be. Old wooden beams stood lonely against the dim sunlight. You looked up. Dark grey clouds were sweeping across the sky, drowning the sun amongst their depths. You smiled. The heavy smell of rain promised a good thunderstorm and heavy showers all day long. How you yearned for the rain, had been another reason to escape.  
Rocks had littered the ground around your former home. The old swing from the birch tree had broken down, and hung pitifully still.  
What you cherished most were the lilies that your parents used to make you tend to. You loathed plants, how if you didn’t tend to them, they’d attract gnats. Those flying fuckers annoyed the shit out of you, and if you left any food out for one second, you’d come back and there’d be a dead fly in it. Gross. Not to mention, your parents laughed at you when you attempted to swat them down. Hey, you killed some of them, right? Ugh. Regardless, you had a black thumb and killed every plant life you touched. Did you care? Nope. Too busy kicking over dumb perennials and buttercups as a kid. Now, the lasting tulips of your late mother's care, stood falteringly, slightly wilted but beautiful nonetheless. You weren’t gonna cry. You stopped crying when you realized that life is a beautiful lie and death is an awful truth.  
You couldn’t wait to dance with death. They had your parents in their sweet embrace. You weren’t suicidal but considered it with great depth. No more of that. What were you gonna do now? With given sense you could build another house out in the woods but the thought of living in the dark scared you. What could be lurking in the wilderness? Your parents had always been there to protect you, but now they were gone. They’d always said that if they perished, to go to the mountain. For what, they never told you and you’d rather not end up imprisoned. Selfish, yes, but surely you could be free for just a little longer? Sure you could kill a human and take their soul to the king, but you could never bring yourself to physically nor magically take the life of another. You weren’t about to sacrifice your human soul either. Not to somebody you didn’t know, king or not.  
But, it wouldn’t hurt to inspect the mountain, right? After all , you had to go beyond the barrier to become trapped. How does one not notice falling into a mountain? Never mind. Heavy rain had begun to fall, the cold water refreshing. You stood quietly, grinning wildly and run your paws through your hair. It was already soaked. You were quickly getting drenched. You decided to stay a little longer. It surely didn’t pour under the mountain. You had rested upon one of the fallen beams, zoning off to the sound of a distant clap of thunder. Those poor monsters, trapped underground. You wondered if they were still alive. It HAD been hundreds of years ago and only boss monsters survive for a long amount of time. Your parents hadn’t mentioned any boss monsters except for the king and queen. Did they have food there?  
It got darker, rain came down harder now, bits of hail pelting you from above. You didn’t care. Should you visit the mountain or not. It didn’t matter really. The only danger being a monster taking away your human soul and trapping you there. Your parents had told you of how the barrier could be taken down. Seven human souls. You wondered as to whether the monsters thought that the surface was a land of glory. You sighed. How wrong they would be.  
You’d made your decision. Getting to your paws, you start off towards the north, leaving the remains of home behind. They wanted you to do this. You’d be safe there and they’d protect you. A place where you wouldn’t be threatened by the mere existence of humans. Perhaps you’d just be another burden to the monsters. You were scared. How was this supposed to go? The dark woods seemed to fly by faster as you were now at the edge of the woods. A dusty trail was barely there, marked by stray pebbles and debris. You followed, seeing as how your parents never took you up here and this could be a trail to the barrier.

You’d been wandering for hours.

The terrain was so slippery that you had to crawl up the mountain on four paws. Claws desperately digging into the soil you hoisted yourself off of the rock wall. The hard floor of the cave greeted you, the black depths a sure sign of something odd. You were soaked down to the bone. Getting up, you took off your sweater and wrung out all of the rainwater. You did the same for your sweatpants. It was time to take a break. You took your sweater between your paws and concentrated. Wisps of fire sparked out from your paws, a warm orangeish magic flowing into the beaten sweater. It suddenly puffed out, all traces of water gone, the sweater warm and begging to be put back on. You did the same for your shorts, warming them up to be worn. You never got sick, rarely so, but that didn’t stop you from taking precautions.  
You’d then stuck your paws on your head, heating up the remains of the water and fluffling out your hair. Ah. Your namesake. Well not really, your parents had given you a name but your hair was always so infamously unkempt and poofy that they referred to you as Lion. You liked the name. It went well with your horoscope and that it was your favorite animal. It went well with your power, too. You looked over into the darkness. Your amber eyes slitted against the darkness. Then cave went far back. Getting to your paws, you padded further into the abyss, the outlines of vines creeping into your vision.  
There it was. A deep hole in the middle of a mountain. The top was covered with hanging vines. A vast light filtered in from a hole at the top of the mountain. So there was little sunlight down there, huh. Good thing you knew two magic brands that gave off light. You peered over the top, anchoring your claws into the deep soil so you wouldn’t accidentally fall. There was no bottom. At least, there hadn’t appeared to be one. You stood up, weighting your chances of jumping into the hole. There was nothing down there. You lowered your head, long ears pricked towards the hole. Listening. Not a sound. This was what your parents wanted, right? But you didn’t jump. As you got to your feet, a hard impact to your back sent you flying over the ground, into the hole, the force knocking the breath out of you. And as you fell deeper you fell unconscious, unknowingly falling through the barrier and into the depths below.


	2. Running From The Cannibals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind that you still don't have any idea of what the monsters underneath the mountain are like. All you know is that children go missing when they fall in. You've recently been pushed in and the adventure begins...

Your Needy Convenience  
It hurt. You’d landed. Somewhere… You couldn’t move nor think, a splitting headache filling your head with immense pain. But you were alive, right. You tried to open your eyes. They felt glued shut, and to make matters worse, you were face down in something that smelled faintly sweet. That couldn’t be good. You attempted to lift your right arm. Hot pain shot up your limb making you gasp and stop altogether. Something could be out there in the darkness, watching you. It was pointless as you were helpless, for sake’s, you couldn’t even move. Well, barely. You could move your tail some, the only thing that doesn’t hurt to move. It flickered pausing at your lower back before draping across your hips. It was barely there at first: something soft but yet dried, as if there was a drought or something. You inched it further, only to find more of these dry things surrounding you. Just what the heck did you land in?   
And then you heard it. The loudest rumble to sound off somewhere near your right arm. And then a loud ‘pop’ to confirm your suspicions. You faked sleep, this being a natural reflex when it came to dangerous situations. It worked at the basement, it could sure as hell work here, if your cards were right. You automatically slowed your breathing, your chest rising and falling ever so slowly. Whatever it was was staring at you. It came closer, hesitantly, as if scared you’d lashed out. You’d wanted to but again, you couldn’t move without severe pain. Thorny vines started to snake their way around your legs, not covering everything, but painful nonetheless. You’d reacted, thrashing about, but to make it as if you felt it in your pseudo sleep. The vines continued to creep, stopping short near your neck. Some thorns pricked, testing if you were truly asleep. It worked. The vines slowly retracted themselves from your body, the pain still there but less painful than the ones from before.   
With that, the thing disappeared, back into the loud rumble and out of earshot. You tried again. You could move your arm, the pain still there, but bearable. You tried with your other arm. The same as the other. Using your right arm, you rubbed at your eyes, the crust falling away to release your eyelids from their prison.   
With a hiss, you closed them again, the light scorching your corneas. Trying again, you squinted into the darkness, slowly opening them to their normal angle. It was dark. So dark that not even your eyes could pierce the darkness. You looked down. Numerous golden flowers littered the ground, pressed under your paws. They probably cushioned your fall. Peering out of the darkness, you spotted the tiny hole at the top of the cavern. Dim light filtered down, barely illuminating the hole. Strange, the hole seemed a lot bigger at the top.   
You’d shivered. You hadn’t a clue where you were, nor what would happen next. You’d successfully managed to pick yourself up, the pain from falling lessening to a quiet throb. You took a step out of the flowers, brushing the excess petals off yourself. You needed to get out of here. Whatever it was earlier took mercy on you, but you had a feeling it would come back. You had to chance it. You began to walk into the darkness, the faint outline of the walls coming into view. Placing your paws, you let the walls guide you towards this bigger cavern. It seems you were barely touching the iceberg. It was mostly rocky, a hole from somewhere above, lighting the way. The walls on the outskirt were pitch black. In the middle, underneath the light, sat a patch of grass, water sparkling on the tips. Welp.   
Snap! You jumped. Pricking your ears towards the sound, you identified multiple footsteps, all heading your way. You quickly limped towards the outskirts of the cavern, hiding yourself in the darkness. The flowers from earlier would hide your scent and would keep you from being found. You curled in on yourself, taking less space, and making yourself a miniscule target. Just then, a group of monsters came sprinting past and into the first cavern, barely noticing your form in the corner. A tall, white form was at the head, a purple tunic of sorts billowing out behind them. Two skeletons followed close behind a fish woman? A short lizard barely kept up along with what looked to be a small child carrying a flower? This was getting weird, quickly. As soon as they’d gotten out of earshot, you hurled yourself towards the exit, in the opposite direction of the mob. It’d gotten darker, your short form skimming over the floor in relative silence. More light gradually came into view, along with a room of sorts. The walls, a rich purple, bordered everything in sight. You kept up your pace, throwing yourself up the stairs, only stopping to gaze at the bed of red petals at the foot of the stairs. A sign hung above the doorway, what it said, you’d never know. You continued, coming to a room with six foot panels and a locked door. You started to panic. A puzzle? Now of all times?  
There was a sign, hanging next to the door, which you stopped your wild thoughts to read. There was a small hint to the puzzle, something about avoiding the middle path. Only four panels stood out from the middle. You quickly pressed down onto to them, pulling the lever next to the door. Welp. After you’d ‘solved’ the puzzle, the door gave a mighty rumble and opened, no doubt alarming the monster group from earlier. This was not good. Not good at all. You quickly moved into the room. Turning on your heels, you snagged the lever from the other room and pulled, causing the door to close behind you. The next room was the same, levers dotting the wall, some with arrows pointing at them. Small bodies of water separating the groups. It’s not like you can doubt the levers now, you didn’t know the consequences. Get out of this place or get mauled by a monster mob? Taking your chances, you pulled the labeled levers, scowling when the door gave another rumble and opened. You hurled yourself through it not bothering to close it.   
The next room was normal, a hallway leading to… a bridge with spikes over a god knows how deep pool. Okay then. You threw yourself into the water, shivering with the cold. Arriving at the other side, you lifted yourself over the edge, hauling yourself to your feet. You’d no time for drying out your clothes. The next room was a synch, a long hallway that led further in. Dashing through it, you stopped at a room with two exitways: one to the north, another to the east. You went through the north exit, coming face to face with a bowl of candy. Turning yourself around, you went through the east exit instead. Nice try, Satan. You’re gonna have to try a lot harder than that.  
The next room held three rocks, three foot panels and a bridge of spikes. Launching yourself into the water, you skipped the puzzle. You did not have the time for that, due to your predicament. You came to a room with a table. The cheese on it was firmly stuck to the table, bits melted into the dusty wood. A tiny mouse squeaked at you from a hole in the wall. You firmly ignored it. It was strangely quiet. You didn’t see anyone else here, and the silence was unnerving. You soon came to another multi hallway, one to the north, another to the east. You skipped the east exit, it only being a dead end. The hallway on this floor similar to the previous one with the obvious pillar. The next room was a puzzle, various buttons sticking out of the ground, pillars obscuring some from view. A sign from the wall giving a clue as to find a certain colored lever. The next three rooms were the same, the positions of the levers switched and the colors as well. 

“Wait- Up ahead!” A voice called, somewhere from another room. You began to panic again. You didn’t expect them to catch up so quickly. The room ahead, had to ways: north towards a foreign house, a big bag of nope, and a exit to the east. You sprinted towards the east, barely dodging an object that went whizzing past your head. The room was a dead end, a present sitting on the floor to your left. You scrambled off the ledge and dug your claws in, a small jut of stone keeping you from your hunter’s vision.

“I swore I saw something!”

“Are you sure? There’s nothing here.”

“Who else undid the puzzles?! There’s no water creatures in the Ruins, so explain the water puddles dotting the floors!”

“Maybe it was-”

“No Toriel. Someone was here, I saw them! They went this way! I know what I saw!”

“UNDYNE. PLEASE CALM DOWN.”

“Yes. A human cannot simply disappear into thin air.” There was a long pause, and then a sharp intake of breath.

“See! Even Frisk says they saw it!

“I’m sure the kid is right. I mean, I WAS the one to arrive their first. It was clearly a human.”

“how come there’s no human than, weed?”

“Oh shut it, smiley trashbag!” 

“Now now, please calm down everyone.” It was silent. The voice that spoke held an adult tone to it. The voice was smooth and soothing. It almost made you come out from hiding. You looked down. It was just a pit and you were sure there was nothing awaiting you at the bottom.

“I’m sure it was just a stray Froggit or Whimsun. Nothing to be afraid of.” The voice continued, the others giving defeated sighs.

“Whatever you say, Toriel.” This one held a deep tone, grumbling at the previous speaker. There was the sound of multiple feet shuffling away. You wanted to move but you stopped, there was still someone here. You silenced yourself, pressing yourself harshly into the wall. Seconds passed and a stray pebble fell a couple inches to your left. More time, and small footfalls sounded away from the cliff and into the other room. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Flipping yourself around, you slowly made your way up the cliff, claws latching into the dents on the wall. You peered over the landing, the clearing empty. Hauling yourself over the wall, you got to your feet.   
You almost lost your shit when one of the speakers mentioned the excess water from your swims. You settled into the shadows and dried out your outer wear, wiping every trace of water from your body. You were trapped. For now at least. They probably went towards the north exit, the dark house. They most likely lived there. Time for a nice long thought. You could leave the way you came or grow a pair and break into the house. More than likely, one of them would be on the lookout. Luckily, the longer you waited, the darker it became, perfect for hiding and venturing. You’d finally came up with a plan: you’d get into the house and stick to the shadows. Once you found the exit you’d leave.   
Remembering the script, earlier you felt the presence of six people. You’d have to map out those people and avoid each. If you failed, you’d most likely perish. It was now or never. Getting to your paws, you stopped at the doorway, angling your ears towards the hallway. Faint sounds came from the north exit. Perfect. You slipped into the hallway, again, angling your ears towards the house. Six voices filled the gap along with six extra scents to register into your roster. Each scent seemed to lead into the house, not leaving, yet pooling within. You, still in the darkness, attach yourself to the wall, using your claws to haul yourself to the ceiling. You slowly and delicately crawled along the top of the walls, the light within the house illuminating shadows on the wall. You stopped at the roof of the house. A faint thought of being the perfect stalker came into your head, but you banished it, holding your full attention at the occupants inside the house. They all seemed to be in one room, conveniently far from the entrance.  
You set to work, using your magic to melt the joints on the door. In doing so, you moved the door to the side, moving inside with pure silence. You held your ear to the wall. They moved further into the house, into another room off the room to the left. A cold breeze tickled your ear. You gazed to the left, a staircase in plain view. It was now or never. You skimmed across the carpet, jumping over the banister and racing down the stairs. You light weight gave no noise on the stone floor. A loud crashing sound came from inside, and your delight switched to instant panic. You knew they’d find the melted door, you’d hoped they’d find it much later.

“What in the name of holy fu-”

“Quickly! Search the house!” 

“ROGER THAT!” You sprinted faster down the corridor, coming face to face with a large stone door. You threw yourself against it, frantically trying to escape your pursuers.  
“The stairs! The carpet has been altered on the stairs!” The door finally gave way, you slipping between the narrow spaces, adrenaline coursing through your body. You barreled down the corridor, another cavern rapidly approaching. You skipped it and headed through yet another door.

“Fuck! The door’s been opened! They got out!” The first thing that came into view was the snow. And giant trees came to your needy convenience. Your sunk your claws into the nearest tree and climbed, fading into the trees behind. Sure it was cold but that major getaway gave you plenty of warmth. You stilled yourself and waited, magic at the ready.


	3. Hiding In The Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You escape the ruins just barely. Good news: there's more room to hide. Bad news: there's now an official search party on your tail. There will be character mentioning.

Small and Delicate  
The branches that you stood on were thick and brittle, but the heavy snowfall from above snuffed out your scent. You were perched in the thick canopies of the pine trees, eyes locked on the huge stone door. You were naturally warmer than most folk so the cold only bothered you a little bit. Suddenly, the door burst open. 

“Dammit!” The speaker, a heavily built fish monster came from the darkness, navy blue scales glistening with sweat. It’s long red hair was messily draped across their back, their bright yellow eyes narrowed and searching in the clearing beneath you. You held on tighter to the branch, not daring to make a sound. This was not the surface and if you set a toe out of line here, you could die and respawn in who knows where. 

“They got away! Dammit! I had one job and whoever that scumbag was, broke in and got away! Alright, that set your fur on edge. Sure, breaking into their house was bad, but a scumbag? You didn’t even steal any of their stuff, not that you needed it. The monster, cloaked in a long, black trench coat, kicked the snow off the ground and growled. 

“UNDYNE, PLEASE WAIT!” A tall skeleton appeared from the darkness, clamping a gloved hand onto the fish monster’s shoulder.

“I’M SURE THERE IS A REASON-”

“They got away Papyrus.” Papyrus, from who you assumed was the tall skeleton, looked alarmed but surely at the monster next to him.

“PERHAPS THEY WERE WARY OF US.”

“Or perhaps they got past to exchange danger on the underground! This is serious Papyrus! That human could hurt the monsters of the underground! We can’t just sit here and turn a blind eye! We have to-”

“That’s enough.” A large goat monster reared its head from the darkness, coming to tower over the fish monster.

“But Toriel-”

“I understand your fear Undyne but I assure you that we’ll set out as soon as possible.”

“Scared? Me?” You’d began to assign names: the tall skeleton was Papyrus, the fish monster was Undyne, and the goat monster was Toriel. The names strangely fit their appearances. They still had yet to notice your position in the background.

“Undyne! P-please slow d-down!” A short lizard monster hurled itself at Undyne and latched onto their elbows, clearly frightened.  
“Alphys. Go alert the others to gather their items. It appears that we’re going on a… human...hunt.” Toriel clearly looked displeased at the prospect while Alphys, the short lizard apparently, straightened their glasses on their snout.

“Y-yes Toriel!”

“no need.”

“SANS!” A shorter skeleton appeared next to Papyrus, a small human child at their side. You could see the correlation between the two skeletons. Perhaps they were siblings? You shook your head, still listening to the conversation. The kid beside them began to move their hands, signing something to the group unto which they payed attention.

 

“I doubt that Frisk. Whoever it was took off in a hurry.”

“YES. THEY DIDN’T EVEN INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.” The child, apparently Frisk, signed some more, the group of monsters shaking their head. Shrugging, Frisk moved over to Toriel, hands holding onto the frill of the tunic. You stopped there. Wow, okay. So you were in some deep shit right now. You recounted the number of monsters and their names: Undyne the fish monster, Papyrus the tall skeleton, Toriel the goat monster, Alphys the lizard monster, Sans the shorter skeleton, and the human child, Frisk. That was a mouthful. Silently slipping back into cover, you made your way through the treetops, not stopping until you were far from that group of monsters. As you made your way, you spotted a obvious thick branch, out of place in the snow. Another item was a bridge, the bars way too far apart to stop anyone from passing. You continued until you found a sentry station. Snow gathered on the roof, a weirdly shaped lamp across from it. You slipped out into the open. It was dead quiet. Safe. For now, at least.  
There were were snow lumps in the corner that you ignored. More likely, it was the sentry station. You cautiously peered behind it, finding bottles of condiments and hot dog buns under the counter. You sighed in relief. It would’ve sucked if someone was in there. Turning around, you spotted a path to the right, leading further into the forest, you gradually followed, passing a clearing with a box and an exit to a river on the left. You came to another sentry station, not far from the other. It looked as if it was crafted by a child. It was darker than the other, and a long sign hung on the front. You slowly approached the sentry station. A big pile of snow sat on the inside, clearly building from the gap in the ceiling. 

“heya.” At the precise moment, you lost your shit. Your entire body froze up, not daring to move in any way. You were doomed. How the little shit caught up was beyond your train of thought as that train went hurtling off the tracks. It was an awkward pause and the silence was more than uncomfortable. The presence at your back moved to your side but to you it felt as if they were all around you, trapping you between them and the station. You began to tremble, your breathing picking up.

“you happen to see anything strange around here, kid?” Your eyes widened. That’s right. You looked like a monster. Whoever it was thought that you were just another monster. Turning around slowly, you came face to face with the shorter skeleton from earlier. Sans, you recalled stared at you waiting for an answer. Pinpricks of light shone from the depths of his eye sockets, looking you over, ever so fucking slowly. He wore a dark blue hoodie, a white turtleneck underneath, with black basketball shorts, socks, and… house slippers? You met his steely gaze with your own, a pro poker face at the ready.

“No. Not if you count a box in the middle of a forest.” Your mind returned to the box. It WAS strange and hopefully he’d buy into it. 

“you from around here?” There it was. You didn’t know of any other zone in the place not to mention that if you said something stupid, you were done for. You decided to wing it.

“No. I was touring from the capital. Things get boring when you’re in the same place for too long. Besides, it’s fun to get lost once in awhile.” He peered at you slowly. For a statement pulled from the void, it was good. 

“you need help getting back?” He bought it. The guy bought it. Since when the fuck were you so smooth at excuses?

“Nah. The cold doesn’t really bother me so I can stay out here for a good while. I’m sure I’ll find my way back.” You gave a nonchalant shrug and stuck your paws in your pockets, mimicking his own. 

“welp. get home safely then.” And with that he turned around and went back the way he came. Weird. Why’d he come out here only to turn around. You were about to continue onto the path away from Sans when an even taller skeleton came from behind.

“SANS! I- HELLO OVER THERE!” Fuck. You turned around, locking eyes with the taller skeleton who was bounding over to meet you. Sans stood in place, his eyes staying on the taller skeleton. It was Papyrus. Sans was no problem but Papyrus was another story. He towered above your puny frame of five feet, standing about four heads higher. This one, you were scared of. Papyrus stopped short of a foot in front of you, eagerly awaiting your greeting. Sans was now standing next to his brother, his head reaching Papyrus’s shoulder. 

“H-hi there.” You were sweating, mostly because the entire group from earlier was now in sight.

“HELLO THERE MONSTER CHILD! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! THIS IS MY LAZY BROTHER, SANS! AND YOU ARE?” The group was now rapidly approaching, Undyne, covering ground faster at the sight of you.

“I-im Lion. Just Lion.” While it wasn’t your real name, you didn’t trust these people with your real name. Papyrus who looked overjoyed stuck out his hand, in which you slowly took it and shook. He seemed to squeal when you did, making you jump. 

“SAY MONSTER CHILD! HAVE YOU SEEN A HUMAN AROUND ANYWHERE? WE’RE LOOKING FOR ONE AS OF NOW!” They were looking for you. Heh. They had no idea that the human was actually you. Score.

“Nope. Though I’m sure a human wouldn’t be hard to find. If I do see one I’ll make sure to find you, though.” The skeletons looked confused at your answer, Undyne, who’d split the two brothers confirming your mistake.

“How would you know what a human looks like?” She glared down at you, sharp teeth poking out and golden eyes narrowed.

“Knowledge.” You shifted into smartass mode, a silent smile playing on your lips.

“What type of knowledge?” Her eyebrows were scrunched, waiting for your answer.

“Knowledge that a human has skin and that they have a human soul and stuff.” Your answer clearly pissed her off as she began to scowl. The other monsters had soon formed a half circle around you, confused about the situation.

“Anywho, I have places to be and things to see. If I DO find a human, I’ll make sure to look for you.” You bowed towards the group, and turned on your heels, disappearing into the undergrowth before they could ask more questions. The skeletons seemed to buy into your monster disguise, keeping you safe from the truth. You quietly set down upon the path only for Papyrus to call on you again.

“EXCUSE ME! MONSTER CHILD!” You turned around again, the group from before keeping pace.

“MY BROTHER SANS HAS INFORMED ME THAT YOU ARE FROM THE CAPITAL AND ARE TOURING SNOWDIN, CORRECT?” Dammit Sans. You nodded your answer, the other monsters peering at you, curious. How far could you go with this disguise? Hopefully, miles. 

“That’s correct.”

“OH GOODY! IF YOU WOULDN’T MIND, YOU COULD TAG ALONG WITH US?”

“Wait, what?”

“THERE ARE OTHER MONSTERS AROUND THIS AREA THAT APPEAR TO LIKE SPARS! IF YOU DON’T LIKE TO FIGHT, YOU SHOULD TAG ALONG WITH MY GROUP TO AVOID THEM!” You thought for a moment. You could most certainly hold yourself off in a magic fight, but you might get overwhelmed if there’s a giant amount. On the other hand, you could go with Papyrus and be spared the fights but be asked constant questions and be led to who knows where. You carefully weighed your opinions, a slight frown appearing on your face. You decided against it. You could survive the onslaught and if not, try to escape.

“uh kid?”

“Hmm?”

“you comin’ or not?” Sans and the other peered at you, awaiting your decision. 

“Nah. I can survive. Thank you for the offer though.” You attempted to disengage the conversation. That is until the fish monster from earlier hoisted you into the air.

“No way! I insist you come with us!” Undyne had you in a death grip, grinning at you. That grin was most definitely hostile. You clearly weren’t comfortable but you were the runt in the group and you couldn’t just panic and run away. That would raise suspicion.

“I don’t have a say in this, do I?” 

“Nope!” Undyne had thrown you over her shoulder, still in her deathly group, even tighter than before. You relaxed. Tensing up was pointless and even though you were on your deathbed, you’d go out not giving two shits. Undyne moved forward, you being her eyes in the back. The others in the group had ogled your form on Undyne’s back, your form laying limp, eyes closed, and mouth, straight. You looked like this was an everyday thing for you.

“UNDYNE! PLEASE DO NOT MANHANDLE THE MONSTER CHILD!”

“Yes Undyne. Do not mishandle the child.”

“Relax. This kid is as light as a feather. It’s no prob.” You immediately snapped your head around, furious at her statement. You were NOT short and you were NOT lightweight. You were manly and tough as heck. The others seemed to notice this and shared a knowing look.

“IT SEEMS THAT THE MONSTER CHILD DOES NOT LIKE BEING CALLED SHORT, UNDYNE.”

“I didn’t call them short. I’m just said that they’re lightweight. I could hold them in one hand, really. So small and delicate!”

“Excuse me?” A snort issued from Undyne who covered her mouth to express her laughter.

“I’m not delicate! I can accept that I’m short, yes, but I am NOT delicate!” You crossed your arms on her back and puffed, making her laughter harder than it already was. Sans snorted from his position next to Papyrus. Toriel hid a small smile behind her paw, and Frisk was madly giggling.

“Yeah you are, punk!” She moved her arms to hoist you under her arm. Like how someone would carry a football. 

“You’re like a giant pillow!” There you go.

“Wow. Okay, way to ruin my pride. Yep. Just throw my pride into wind. I’ll just be here, being a giant pillow.” At that, Undyne began to laugh hysterically, her body shaking with laughter. You could here Sans and Papyrus joining along, Toriel in the back laughing just as hard. Alphys had to carry Frisk, who’d collapsed laughing in the snow. You had a murderous scowl on your face. Perhaps you should’ve just ran away. Suddenly, your feet were back on the ground. Undyne was now laying in the snow, shaking some more.

“Holy jeez! Are you okay?” Papyrus had to kneel beside the fish lady and carry her, she was laughing so hard.

“I’m, *wheeze*, okay! Just, *cough*, give me a second kid!” She was still laughing, a couple coughs escaping her lips. Sans had stopped laughing and was eyeing you curiously. You puffed with mild annoyance, turning away from the group, and continued walking. You’d had enough. Choosing to ignore them for the present, you continued on a clearing coming into view. It was a puzzle. Two neon red circles glowed in the snow. A pile of snow separated the two and a floor panel lay nearby. You inwardly sighed. You didn’t hate puzzles but they were an inconvenience.

“OH! THIS REMINDS ME OF THE HUMAN!” You’d gone to look at Frisk who looked at Papyrus. Which one? 

“THE HUMAN IN THE RUINS HAD SOLVED THE PUZZLES THERE WITH EASE! WELL, OKAY, MAYBE THEY SKIPPED SOME, BUT THEY STILL SOLVED SOME!” Ah. It was you. You briefly remembered swimming in the water to avoid the spike puzzles and hopping over the spikes in the room with all the holes.

“PERHAPS THEY AVOIDED THIS ONE TOO!”

“You could be right Papyrus. Quickly! Everybody scan for footprints!” With that, the group dispersed into every direction, checking the snow for fresh footprints. You went north of the puzzle, gazing over the edge of the cliff to peer at the woods below. You didn’t realize how huge this cavern was, the woods extending far into the darkness. It was then that you spotted it: a glimpse of something bright. The color was green and yellow, briefly appearing in the undergrowth but fading out of existence at your gaze. What was that? It wasn’t normal at all, even for monsters. A nervous feeling pooled in your stomach, making the hairs on the back of you neck rise.

“woah buddy. relax. it’s just Sans.” The skeleton in name, stooped beside your form in the snow, giving you a confused look. You slowly looked at Sans, then back at the spot of the thing. The spot was darker than before. You shivered, rising back to you paws.

“what’s up?” Sans was still at your side, the pinpricks of light in his sockets piecing your own. You knew he didn’t trust you. You didn’t care. You didn’t trust them either. But they might know something.

“Just… saw something… strange.”

“like what?” His full attention was on you now, the lights in his eyes dimmer than before.

“I saw something, oddly discolored? Something green and yellow? It sort of, faded out of sight when I saw it.” You looked back at him from your thoughts. You froze. His sockets were devoid of any emotion, the darkness like never ending pools of fear. Whatever you said had scared him. Badly.

“Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you! I just thought that it was strange.” You apologized to Sans, the lights in his eyes seeming to come back. He eyed you for a few moments before replying.

“it’s okay kid. probably a decorated Gryftrot. nothing too strange.” With that, Sans turned back around, the group following suit. You continued to gaze out into the forest. Whatever that was had shaken you. What was a Gryftrot and were they always that elusive? You’d started to tremble. You’d sensed that whatever it was had sensed you ,too. That was bad. You needed to get the hell out of this snowy place before you broke down from fear.   
Being able to blend in with monsters was a huge advantage, but when would they see through your disguise? These woods seemed to never end, and you shivered, your breath coming out as a cloud. The cold was starting to wear on you. You looked towards the ceiling, eyeing the darkness with distaste. You weren’t gonna cry. You could handle this. Just. One step at a time. The others who’d started to discuss something left you out and you clearly didn’t care. What you didn’t notice was that Toriel, Frisk, and Sans had began to stare at your back as did the others. It was getting even darker, and you let it. You were about to zone out from boredom, like you normally did. And as the darkness came closer, your mind settles on an old memory from your childhood...


	4. Memories From Your Youth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You zone out from the group discussion and take a trip back to your early childhood before the incident. You then set off again to the town in the middle of this winter wonderland. And just what the heck are burgers and fries?

The Where and The When

You were still very young at the time, heck you couldn’t even remember the humans who committed the crime. Your parents were still alive then. You were still innocent to the world, your trust is what kept you afloat. But now, there was none of that. Those humans… what they did was unforgivable. But you remembered. It was the last day of the hunting season, as the next day would be the normal spar between you and your parents. They were boss monsters, the two of them. Ever since you could barely walk, they began to teach you magic, ensuring your safety in the harsh human world. Your parents constantly reminded you of what the humans had done long ago. How the humans who’d feared the monsters and their strong magic had attacked with such ferocity and anger, had slaughtered the multitude of the other race. The monsters had valiantly fought but in the end, were forced under the mountain, sealed by a barrier of strong magic from the human mages. The mages who’d sacrificed their physical matter to the barrier had put a lock on the barrier, the key to freedom being a merciless slaughter of seven humans. After that, there were no more humans mages. They didn’t see the need to fear any more monsters. But they were wrong…  
They’d missed multiple loner monsters, who were enraged at the imprisonment of their fellow brothers and sisters. There was a major loss of humans, the monsters striking out with their magic in the darkness. The humans gathered together to search out the loners, everywhere. They eventually became victorious, wiping out almost every monster on the surface. Soon after, they left the story be, purposefully forgetting the existence of monsters and the bloody war was to be forgotten by history. The key is almost. Your parents were the sole survivors, hiding in the shadows and killing any human who dared to walk their territory. The survived the war, the hard times, and having you, their successor.   
You grew up in a small cottage in the thickest and darkest section of the woods. Humans rarely dared to walk here as this was a well-known human spot for mysterious disappearances. The human adults were slaughtered on sight. So were the children. Your parents were blunt and very strict, not letting you leave their sight until you were old enough to fend for yourself. They both had a lot of LV, hardly batting an eyelash at the sight of gore or the cries of the dying. You often tagged along, gaining heaps of experience, learning the vital points of humans, what could kill them easily and what couldn’t. Your parents were no fools, ignoring the innocence and naive lessons of the young and skipping straight towards teaching you about sex and gore. You accepted the way of life, using your knowledge to fuel your ambitions.  
When you were born, you were born with two souls, one being a monster soul, the other being a human soul. You were a positive negative. You couldn’t absorb anybodies soul, nor could they absorb yours. Your parents were eager to study your mutation, encouraging you to test your limits. You normally stuck with your monster soul. Trying to draw power from your human soul was too dangerous. Your parents often forced you to spar with them, friendly physical and magical fights to determine how strong you were and to give you pointers for fights. They educated you by their own hands, giving you that of an advantage of a genius. Your father was a scientist of high caliber and was often deeply engrossed in chemistry and physics. Your mother was a tough warrior who had a gift for gardening. You had a knack for knowing anatomy, studying the corpses of the humans your parents killed, and studying your own parents. You always insisted it’d be helpful. You were right.   
The one ironic thing about your parents was their weakness. Your mom controlled fire magic and could absorb any lesser fire than her own, being as strong as she was. Your father controlled electricity and could start a fire with anything, anytime, anywhere. Basically, they both controlled a type of heat and power. The one thing you all were weak to was human fire. The one weapon the humans used on your parents. The one element that you control next to electricity, that haunted your nightmares and taunted your very existence. You were lucky.   
Your parents who’d already gone to hunt for wild game, had insisted that it was your turn. You’d done this song and dance so many times that you knew the rules and cautions like the claws in your paws. You were in the woods for an hour or two, having caught a large duffel bag full of prey. You were on your way back when you caught the scent of smoke. One thing led to another and somebody’s arm skin got torn off. The house was on fire, and your parents were in it. Now sure, all cats have nine lives. You still had all of yours. Your parents, however, had both just lost their last and final. And you cried. For hours, you sat next to the burning house and cried yourself to sleep. The humans who did the crime, had tried to toss you in but you’d countered, almost ripping off the human's arms with your fangs. They left in a wild panic, one stopping to spit at the remains of the what used to be. You knew they were dead. After the house had stopped burning, you ventured inside, charred dust piles pooling near the old dining room. The wind had swept it away, along with your hopes and dreams. You were alone now. At least, you were before you felt a cloth tied around your mouth, and you falling limp in a stranger's grasp. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“kid? kid, you alright?” You were swept back into the present with a bang, Sans standing over you with a small frown. How that was possible, you didn’t know. The others were gathered around you too, each having the same amount of worried expressions. You stopped to think, looking over the cliff, you remembered where you where.

“Yeah. Just spaced out for a second there. No need to be worried.” You carefully eyed each member of the group, an apologetic smile for their troubles.

“Do NOT do that again, you little punk!” You could tell that they were genuinely worried for your health. Meh. They’d better get used to it. You got to your feet, throwing the icy lake in the distance once last glance before facing the others.

“Sure, I guess.”

“You GUESS?!”

“U-undyne! P-please calm down!” Alphys had started to sweat and had hastily attached herself to Undyne’s elbow.  
“I’m calm, Alph.” Undyne had stooped to pick up Alphys, giving a gentle but strong nose boop on the lizard monster’s snout. Alphys had began to turn red, small drops of blood appearing from her nostrils.

“Oh my!”

“Come on then! Let’s get going!” With Alphys still in her arms, Undyne took off, throwing snow in her wake.

“I AGREE! LET US HURRY TO SNOWDIN!” With that Papyrus had picked up Frisk and had hurtled after the monster duo, giving a high pitched “nyeheheh” as he went. Toriel had followed close, worried for the safety of her child. That just left you with Sans. Golly. You hated awkward situations, and if necessary, you often broke the ice. 

“tibia honest, I found it strange that a monster child should be messing around in the forest. why are you out here, really?” Well apparently he broke the ice first. He sure knew how to get to point. 

“To explore!” Jazz hands, activated. Sans gave you a skeptical look, in which you replied, jazz hands intensified. No, that was a pun, you will resist the urge to laugh.

“to explore, huh?”

“Yup!” You knew how to fake emotions, excitement being your best, yet.

“so you’ve never been outside the capital?”

“No. My parents always said it was too dangerous, and that i’d get lost. I don’t mind getting lost once in awhile. It just adds to the adventure!” That was true. While you didn’t know what capital Sans was talking about, you’d called the area around your house ‘the capital’ and your parents had never let you wander outside the perimeter.

“There was a saying that went with adventures. What was it? Ah! Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” Sans snorted, eyeing you from the side with mirth.

“What?” He laughed even harder, pointing at you all the while, giggling to himself. It took you a while to process it in your head. Curiosity killed the cat. The cat. Dammit. You groaned at your unintentional pun, holding your head in one hand. Sans just kept laughing. You didn’t mind puns, heck you even told your own sometimes, you just couldn’t be spontaneous with them.

“nothin’ kid. nothin’.” He laughed for a good couple minutes, you trying to pull up another topic.

“What is Snowdin like?” You hope it wasn’t a big city. You could deal with a small village, sure, but being around large groups of people made you nervous. After all, you grew up solely around your parents and your captors, both consisting of two to three people.

“it’s great there. not as fancy as the capital but we have our own sort of culture there. the shopkeepers attract the random tourist, Grillbys makes the best burgers and fries, the library has information, and there aren’t as many people around. it’s pretty cold here after all.”

“What are burgers and fries?” And Sans whipped his head around and gave you the most disbelieving look in the history of disbelieving looks. What? You grew up on wild game, cooked yes, but this was the first you’d heard of the item.

“you’re kidding me, right?”

“Really Sans?”

“Pun intentional, but seriously. you’ve never heard of burgers and fries?”

“Nope.”

“kid. we’re going to Grillby’s.” He was just being friendly. Why were you so nervous. You were sure he wouldn’t poison them with cyanide and arsenic so what’s the deal, emotions? You nodded your head, eager to discover what was the big deal with the item. Snowdin was gonna be a lot of fun.

 

It had taken a while, you and Sans, telling jokes to pass the time. Well, him telling you really bad puns and you throwing snowballs at him and groaning at his terrible, but funny jokes. You’d soon came to a bridge, the cavern dropping in altitude and a dark pit awaiting you below. You weren’t scared of heights: you were a cat, you could just latch onto the walls with your claws. It was the others you were worried about. You were sure they’d came this way before you’d even appeared in the underground, but they didn’t have a safety net as you did. At least, you weren’t sure they did.

“SANS! MONSTER CHILD! WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOUR ARRIVAL FOREVER!”

“Calm down, Paps. Sans! Stop keeping back the monster child with your puns!” Your throat was sore from laughing so much, the last pun so bad that you had to take a breather. You weren’t cold yet, the others clearly were, though. Undyne was shivering, despite her large jacket, Alphys was shivering, huddling into Undyne for warmth, Toriel and Frisk were in the corner, a giant cuddle pile. Papyrus was fine and so was Sans. It must’ve been hilarious, to you as you began to giggle uncontrollably. Here were all these monsters that were probably freezing, and here you were with a thin sweater and some short shorts, with the most chill expression. Oh god. Stop with the unintentional puns, dammit! 

“what’s so humerus pal” You shot a playful glare at Sans, who’d merely shrugged and chuckled.

“Everybody’s dressed for the snow and they’re freezing, yet here I am, dressed for the hottest temperatures and I’m not even fazed.” You were full blown laughing, the others glaring at you for your advantage of being warmer.

“Yeah! What’s the deal with that! Must be some witchcraft or something! It’s probably that fur!”

“THAT’S NONSENSE UNDYNE! TORIEL HAS FUR TOO AND SHE IS FREEZING!” That was true. Toriel did have some thick fur. Which led them to stare curiously at you. You could help them. Or you could just let them freeze.

“Do you guys need help, or something?”

“No duh, punk! Give me your secret!” 

“Okay. Come closer. A little more than that.” Undyne had slowly scooted toward you, Alphys following.

“Let me see your jacket for a sec’.” She hesitantly gave you her jacket, unto which you stuck between your paws, your orangish magic wrapping around the garment, fluffing out the interior, rich with serious heat. As you heated up the jacket, you heard Toriel give a small gasp from the corner and Papyrus give a confuses “nyeh” a couple paces away. You bestowed the jacket back to Undyne who stared at you with slight hostility before taking the jacket. As soon as her fingers made contact with the garment, she immediately wrapped it around herself and Alphys, zipping it up as to preserve heat. Both seemed to melt into the jacket, closing their eyes in heated bliss. Welp. Okay then.

“Thanks, punk!”

“T-thank you!” It was no problem, seeing as how you were warmer than most, you only used your fire magic for when you soaked your clothes. Other fire mages couldn’t do this because they would just set the item on fire. You, however, could install heat into any artifact and make it pleasantly warm. Frisk had motioned for you to come closer, signing multiple hand signs. Toriel apparently took in the fact that you didn’t understand ASL and translated it for you.

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could you heat up my sweater, please?” 

“Sure!” You carefully pressed your paws onto Frisk’s shoulders, pumping heat into the cold sweater until it puffed out with heat. The kid just sank into that thing, pleased with the heat. Toriel looked pleased, too. She carefully held onto the small child, using them like a miniature hot water bottle. Now that that was out of the way, you had to cross the bridge. The others seemed to have the same thought as they all started towards the bridge. It looked sturdy enough. Being the first at the bridge, you put your right paw forwards, the bridge giving a small squeak of complaint. It was sturdy. You continued to walk forward, paws limp at your sides, peering over into the abyss. A sudden voice startled you.

“Wait right there!” Before you could say anything, you put another paw forward, hearing an ear-splitting crunch. The bridge panel underneath you had cracked into pieces. You scrambled to grab onto something, being in the middle of the bridge.

“My child!”

“Kid!” You’d failed, slipping backwards into the abyss. Your surroundings grew darker and darker, the shouts of the group falling to silence. You fell for what seemed like ages before you body slammed into the rocks at the bottom. There was another sickening crunch and a loud pop before a searing hot pain ran through your abdomen. You gave a silent scream, coughing up blood in the process. The crimson substance ran down the sides of your mouth pooling at your head. You couldn’t move everything was turning black and you let the darkness be, your consciousness slipping away and the feeling of your body turning to dust was the last thing you felt. 

 

You were floating in the void. Your parents had told of you of this place. You’d lost your first life. It was more gory than you’d thought it’d be. A wide arch appeared in front of you numbers 1-9 floating above. A clock hand pointed to the number nine. As you continued to stare, the number nine had faded away into the background, a bell of sorts ringing in your head as the arrow slowly pointed to the eight. The ringing ensued. It kept ringing, over and over, until it stopped. It was cold.


	5. Respawning In The Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The protagonist loses their first life and respawns a short distance away from the bridge. Tears ensue for a very short time, spaghetti burns, and things get tense. A little.

Scrapes And Bruises

A couple snowflakes danced in the air, landing on your nose, making you sneeze. Your body ached, how long you’d been out here in the snow, you didn’t know. You rose to your paws, the faintest trace of blood on your tongue. You dusted the snow off your sweater and once again, installed heat into it. You were dizzy but not too much that you had to sit down. Everything was blurry but you could just barely make out the shape of a sentry of a box somewhere in the corner. The tiles next to it were seemingly shades of grey, having already been solved. You remembered. Papyrus must’ve solved this when you and Sans were dragging behind.  
Sans? Papyrus? That’s right. You began to trudge forward. You weren’t too far from the bridge, so with luck you could possibly find your way around it. It was then that you noticed how dark it was. A bunch of lights sought out in the dark, illuminated a patch of the forest. It was most likely nighttime. How long had you been out. You lost your ninth life, but it lasted for a good while. Here’s hoping that your eighth will, too. The bridge came into sight again, the broken panel removed and replaced with a shiny new piece of wood. You weren’t sure if you wanted to chance it again but there really was no other way. The abyss cut between the lands like a river and the bridge was the only way across. Unless you wanted to backtrack and walk in the scary woods beneath you. Taking a deep breath, you continued, one paw in front ot the other, this time, holding onto the ropes at your sides. You skipped the murderous wood panel and safely finished the route.   
You took a breath and looked at your surroundings. A large paper sign hung in a patch of blue orchids. The words “Welcome To Snowdin” were etched in a crude sort of scribble, the sign flapping in the icy winds. So this was Snowdin. Two wooden buildings were set to your left, these two apparently being the shop and the inn Sans was telling you about. Your thoughts wandered as you wondered what they were doing as of the present. Had they left your body to be or were they trying to get down the cliffs. You continued forward, coming upon a giant tree in the center. It was wrapped with bulbs and what looked to be tiny lightbulbs. A bear monster was checking the presents underneath while a monster child with no arms scampered about, clearly excited about the presents. Once again you lost your shit as you’d bumped into a familiar-looking skeleton. He wasn’t in motion which gave you the impression that he’d saw you and stopped, you just not noticing him in time. You recognized the strong smell of ketchup and metal. That was most definitely Sans you bumped into. You had little time to react, as you felt your legs suddenly give out beneath you. Sturdy and strong arms wrapped around you and kept you up. There was an eerie silence and then an ear-shattering burst of noise.

“NO! MY SPAGHETTI IS MORE FABULOUS THAN-” And everything went quiet again. Sans had let you go, your paws finding footing in wherever you where.

“My child?” You turned your head to face where the voice had come from. Oh shit. Toriel was sitting at the table, tears in her eyes, with a paw to her muzzle. Undyne had dropped a wooden spoon and was incredulously gazing from out the kitchen, Papyrus had turned around, leaving his spaghetti unwatched, Frisk had stopped their conversation with Alphys to look, and Alphys had looked only to drop her glasses and stare. You stood nervously, slowly inching towards the only door in sight, your only savior. Sweat started to build on your forehead. So what were you gonna tell them?

“Is that really you?”

“I mean, I’m pretty sure that there can only be one me in the universe, so yeah, pretty much.” You were being a smartass but hey, it gave you something to say. Suddenly, strong hands threw themselves around you, a small sob echoing in your ears. The others had followed pursuit, two, no, three. More and more arms wrapped around you until you had trouble breathing. Each were hugging you, Papyrus, Toriel, and Frisk, silently weeping, while Sans, Alpys, and Undyne were just calmly silent. They’d released you soon after, to each, a burning curiosity and sadness filled their eyes. 

“But! How-”

“Nature.”

“But-”

“I can give a guess that you really want to know how I’m still standing so yes, I’ll answer your questions.” Alphys was shaking, holding onto Undyne for support while they all hurriedly found places to sit. Sans led you to the couch, you sitting down ever so gently and Sans just flopping onto the couch like a whale. Papyrus had ditched his spaghetti, storing it for later, and dragging a chair to sit unbelievably close to you. 

“Where to start?”

“There’s no way you survived that fall, kid.” First up was Undyne, who crossed her arms and glared judgingly.

“Well, you are correct. Nobody could survive a fall like that. So yes, I did perish terribly.” You were very calm about the ordeal. You already knew the system behind losing lives so you were used to knowing death like an old friend.

“So how are you still alive.”

“It’s not really still. I just respawned half an hour ago.” Sharp gasps filled the room, Frisk suddenly turned pale, and Sans did that weird pupil disappearance thing. 

“Respawned?” Toriel looked severely confused, holding onto Frisk tighter than necessary.

“That’s right. I respawned. If you ever hear the myth about cats that have nine lives, then that’s somewhat true. Not all cats have them, but I do.”  
“S-so, you m-mean to say…”

“Yep! I didn’t survive the fall so I lost a life. After the damage had been weighed, I just respawned again.”

“THAT’S A VERY SCARY THING, MONSTER CHILD! WAS IT SCARY?”

“Not at all. I already knew I was coming back. What was there to be afraid of? Except for spawning in a dangerous area, that is.”

“You could’ve gave us a heads up, punk!”

“Where’s the fun in that? Besides, I only lost my ninth, I still have eight more to go.”

“So you can basically just lord over death itself, and you don’t find that scary, like, at all?”

“Nope!” Everybody had went silent.

“It’s really nothing to worry about! The only downside is spawning and the passing of time. Speaking of which, how long was I gone?”

“Like five hours!”

“Five hours?”

“Five fu-” Sans cut Undyne off with a stern side eye, quickly correcting her mistake.

“Five freaking hours!”

“Wow.” You’d initially dismissed the thought and rose to your paws, readying yourself for the cold again.

“Where are you going, my child?”

“Out.” It was true. You couldn’t stay here, as warm as it was. You had work to do, caverns to explore, and things to learn.

“Yes, but where?”

“I don’t really know but I have work to do, so if you excuse me-”

“You're not excused!” You let out a high pitched shriek as Undyne suddenly trapped you against the wall, her two arms keeping you there. She was really close. Way too close. She leaned even closer.

“W-why not?” You stammered. You never stammered unless you were scared, which you were. Oh god, looks like death will be greeting you soon.

“You can’t just fall in a gorge, die, come back, and expect us to let you disappear into the snow, you dork!” You felt shaken. They actually cared for you and were hesitating to let you go. You were old enough to adventure by yourself, dammit!

“Actually, I won’t “disappear” Undyne. I’ll just be out and about doing stuff in, you know, plain sight.”

“Not happenin, punk.” You were trapped again, Papyrus standing to your right and Toriel standing to your left. This was some intense backup, jeez! You considered slipping through their legs and jumping through the window. Apparently, Frisk and Alphys had thought so as they’d taken position at the legs of the taller monster.

“Well jeez! It’s u-um.”

“Nope! Your staying here with us! Papyrus! Ready the spaghetti!” You giggled to yourself despite your situation. That rhymed. Undyne, on the verge of supplexing you, picks you up roughly and seats you back onto the couch, Frisk crawling into your lap to keep you there. Your poker face wasn’t working. Abort! Abort!

“so kid. where are you off to in such a hurry?” To be honest, you didn’t know. It’s not like you could turn to the surface as it was just you and about seven billion humans. No biggie, right? It was better to stay down here. Where, you’d find that out later. However, you could explore in the meantime, to take in your surroundings. What troubled you was why you were still putting up a front. They weren’t monster eating cannibals like you thought they’d be. You and your thought, sheesh. It meant that you could confess. However, that would mean putting your pride at stake. You stiffened at the near looks of pity you would get if you confessed your troubles, so deciding to keep your mouth shut, you’d just keep quiet until you got settled into the underground.

“Nowhere, really. Just exploring the underground, the parts I haven’t seen yet.”

“and you said you got here?”

“By the river!” Dear god, you hoped that was a valid excuse. 

“i see.” If you weren’t drenched, you were now, Frisk clearly paying attention. There was something sinister to this. Just a few moments, Toriel and Alphys had departed for the kitchen to make sure it didn’t burn. Now it was just Sans, Frisk, and you with a dry throat. Frisk had signed something at you, to which Sans translated.

“the kid asks if you’ve been to the Ruins.”

“The ruins?” The seemed to scowl deeper at your feigned innocence, thinking to something you couldn’t see.

“yeah. the ruins are a part of the underground, but Tori always locks up before leaving anywhere.”

“So it’s never opened?”

“not unless you ask nicely.”

“Meh. Guess i’m not going in there.” You remembered the ruins. How it was dark, the multitude of puzzles and how you almost got busted trying to escape. You were never going back there, not even if it costed you your eight lives.

“why not?”

“Sounds strange.” You could feel his eyes burning into the side of your head and you didn’t dare stare back. He was onto you. The lot of them. Where was your smooth excuses when you needed them?!

“BACK AWAY FROM THE SPAGHETTI!”

“It’s on fire.”

“Somebody get the fire hydrant!”

“H-how do you even-” You craned your neck to peer into the kitchen, Frisk hopping off your lap to go check on the others. They immediately came running out, hiding behind the left arm of the couch. Sans had gotten to his feet, about to go see but was interrupted as Undyne came flying out of the kitchen, Toriel close behind. 

“It’s gonna blow!”

“what’s gonna-” A loud explosion sounded from the kitchen, the fire alarms going off above you. 

“THE SPAGHETTI WAS NOT READY. AT ALL.” Sans had disappeared into the kitchen, only to come out with Papyrus in tow. He had ash and the remains of severely overcooked spaghetti dribbling from his battle body.

“NYOOHOHOO! THE SPAGHETTI DINNER IS RUINED!” Poor Papyrus. He was crying… wait, how was that even possible? Never mind. Sans was rubbing his back, more or so, the frown of sadness was probably for his injured bro or the decimated kitchen. 

“Don’t worry Papyrus! We can just make more!”

“Um, I’m pretty sure the kitchen is in no state to be cooked in. We’ll have to clean it!”

“uh. you don’t have to-”

“Yes I do!” Toriel set to work, Papyrus and Undyne in tow. Alphys was scrambling to open the windows, filtering out the smoke. Frisk had gotten off the couch and had began to sign something towards Sans. Meanwhile, you just sat on the couch, wondering just what they heck you got yourself into. Suddenly, you had an idea. You could escape this somehow. Thinking powers-

“hey kid.”

“Hmm?” Sans and Frisk had appeared at your side, Frisk now bundled up in snow gear. 

“we’re going to Grillbys to replace the burnt food.” Sans jabbed a phalange towards the scorched kitchen.

“wanna come?” 

“Sure, I guess.” You got to your feet, ready to go with the clothes on your back.

“papyrus. we’re going to Grillbys. you guys want anything?”

“UGH! GRILLBYS? EH. SURE, JUST NOTHING TO GREASY!”

“you got it bro.” The others, who’d been to Grillbys, had listed what they wanted and the three of you had set out the door.


	6. Back To Spaghetti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be boring to some, delving just a bit on the previous years of the protagonist's life before the fall. It mostly features memories, the dark, and a mention of a particular clothing item.

Insomnia And A Striped Sweater

The snow had gotten more intense. It whipped through the air, stinging your cheeks. Frisk was deeply huddled in Sans jacket, shielded partially from the cold. It was time like this when you actually felt the cold. Sure, you were still warm. But that wasn’t the kind of cold you felt. Not the weather. The silence between you three had given you more time to think. You couldn’t keep up your facade. You were just afraid to unearth it too soon. It wouldn’t hurt to expose yourself. But then the questions would come. They’d come. If they knew about your mutation, you could kiss your existence goodbye. You couldn’t live without the other not without the major consequences. You didn’t want to spit up you physical matter, no matter the situation. Wait. Ugh. Stop that mind, you’re not supposed to do this to me.   
Not to mention, it’d be useless as you’re a positive negative. YOU were useless. You couldn’t do anything for the monsters. Nothing. Why were they being so friendly? It was a culture shock, the humans being so bloodthirsty, and the monsters so friendly and understanding. You never understood humanity very much. It was better down here. You could at least try to help, what with your knowledge about the current human era but then again, Frisk had probably supplied them with that. Or not. Why were you here again? Because your parents’ will? There was no point to it but you would obey their death wish. Silence was your best friend but it was the time when the dark thought that you normally pushed to the back of your head, came lurking. 

“we’re here.” What were you gonna say when the time came? Yes, I’m a monster child from the surface with two useless souls, and I have no idea why I still exist. Perfect. You sighed to yourself following the two into a building. The warmth hit you like how you hit the bottom of the gorge. Yikes, the was uncalled for brain. There were multitudes of monsters, each sitting at a table. However, as soon as Sans had walked in, they whipped their heads around to greet him.

“SANS!”

“Heya, Sansy!” Sans had grinned a little wider and waved to his fellow patrons, heading straight for the bar with Frisk heading over to a table full with… dogs? One dog in particular was staring straight at you. You mustard up the courage to. To. Dammit! You locked gazes with the masked dog to your left. A staring contest had soon emerged. His stare was hard and steely, yours, piercing and as intimidating as you could make it to be. This was the dog who’d surprised you earlier.

“you two…. Uh.” Sans was just out of your peripheral vision, the smell of meat wafting through the place. You wanted to look away but you were NOT going to lose to this guy! You stared at the dog harder. He returned the favor, both of you locked in a battle for staring glory.

“uh. you two can stop staring at each other.”

“Pff. This little lady engaged the battle. She started it. I’ll finish it.”

“Who you callin’ little? You're the one that stared at me first.”

“Nuh uh!”

“Yes you did!”

“I did not!”

“Yes! You did!” You were still in the staring contest. Your eyes were starting to burn. Thankfully, one of the patrons had flipped a table in rage, causing the dog to look away for a split second.

“Hah hah!”

“You did that on purpose!”

“I wasn’t the one who flipped a table.”

“But-”

“Accept your defeat.” The dog had crossed his arms, grumbling something, but then placed something shiny on the table.

“Here.”

“Wait. What?”

“I said HERE. Take it. You won the contest. Take your prize.”

“Um. I didn’t-”

“Just take it.” The dog eyed you as you slowly took the coins off the table.

“Um. Thank you.”

“No need.” With that, Sans who’d been waiting, grabbed your right elbow, Frisk grabbing your left, the two dragging you out the bar. You were still comprehending what just happened when the duo brought you back to reality.

“what the heck was that?”

“A staring contest?”  
“yeah but why?” You immediately raised your paws in front of you. 

“Hey, he started it.”

“really now?” 

“I felt him staring at me as soon as we walked in.” That was the truth but you’d wone! Sweet victory, no matter the case. You shortly noticed the large paper bag that Sans was carrying. It was sealed shut, as to prevent the heat from escaping. You shut your mouth, already content with your victory. But what was with the coins? You didn’t bet anything. The whole table thing WAS really convenient as you were about to close your eyes, the pain, too much. The coins jingled in your pocket, clinking with every step you took. It was silent the entire way back. You felt eyes on your chest the entire way. It wasn’t Sans, as he was busy in Sans Land, off in his own thoughts. It wasn’t the kid, they’d let go of their elbow and had skipped ahead towards the house. You turned your head to look behind you. The lights of the shops were starting to dim, meaning closing time. You turned your head to face forward. The silence was taking it’s toll. The shadows of the trees were starting to look a lot more creepier. Somebody could be hiding in those shadows.   
You were scared of the dark ever since you were a young kit. It wasn’t the darkness itself but more precisely, what was in it. You slept a lot as a kid but following the incident. You never fully slept. A few catnaps here and there, but that was all. Ignore the pun, please. Everytime you fell asleep longer than necessary you went there. To the incident. To the burning house. To the laughter of those humans. To the darkness of the basement. The beatings. Your sweater hid most of your scars. You didn’t like to think of them. Cuts ripping across your back reminding you of you of recent times. You’d used magic once. That was a big mistake. You remembered being in a coma for a solid year. The time flies fast. You remembered the bruises that never seemed to go away, the blood that imitates the color of your sweater, the words which sliced into you and made you the way you are. You wanted to escape. Without your parents, everything was new. Despite your enthusiasm for new things, with each step, it felt as if you were sinking farther into a hole you couldn’t get out of. The sweater that you wore, which was shoddy and badly made by your mother, held everything you were.  
It knew your late night tears after the humans had done what they wanted with you. It held the blood of the human whose arm you almost tore off. It held the memories of the dark and the sounds of torture. It held your dreams which were taunted by the darkness. And yet, you kept it. It was one of the only things that the fire didn’t burn, your shorts being the other. You were warm on the outside. But on the inside, you were cold. You were freezing, your mind colder than the blizzard raging around you. But the darkness never lasts long.   
The warmth of the cabin filled you with something you couldn’t place you claw on but the feeling didn’t last long.  
“we’re here.” Time flew by fast, you accepting the food, which did have meat. It was amazing but the wild game on the surface had a tang that this burger just couldn’t match. When Papyrus had suggested a sleep over, you gagged at the idea. But the knowing glares of the others had put your plans of escape at rest. 

 

It had taken a while. Everybody fell asleep at a different time. You however were awake. You couldn’t sleep. You didn’t need to. Those burgers and fries had been your first meal in a week and a half. You were malnourished but you never really felt the hunger. You never felt physically tired. Not from running. Not from walking through a blizzard. Nothing. The quiet snores of your friends filled the dark room, which was illuminated by a tv playing the same movie over and over again. You were reluctant to call them friends. They were friendly but why were they so insistent on keeping you here? Because you were a child? Or because you fell to your death earlier? Both, most likely. The silence had decided to creep back in, taking you back to a memory that you’d rather forget.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It held no significance. You’d stayed out one night, hoping to see the stars. You could go out in the open and gaze at the stars, but your parents would know of your outing. You sunk your small claws into the bark of a pine tree, the sap clinging weakly to your form. It was late autumn, the needles still there. A chilly gust of wind blew through your white nightshirt, ruffling it gently. You continued your journey up the tree, hauling yourself up into the canopy. Your parents would find you soon but you were well with your rules. 

“Hazel! I know you’re up there! What are you doing, you silly kit?” That sweet voice could only belong to your mother. She stood at the base of the tree, her golden hair, fluffed out in luscious curls. Your father was close behind, his amber eyes peering up at you.

“Kid, you’re gonna fall and hurt yourself.”

“No I’m not! I’m trying to see the stars!” With that, the tree had shook gently and your parents were at your side. They liked the stars too. 

“Sorry kid, but that’s not possible.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… look for yourself, kid.” Your dad had pulled back the canopy leaves, the three of you peering up at the night sky. You frowned. There were barely any stars to see. You knew there was more to it, you just couldn’t understand.

“But… why?” You were beside yourself with muddled sadness. You’d planned this for days, only for the experience to be short of a bad time. 

“Well, kid. Humans fear the dark more than we do. They produce more light than is needed. The light blocks out the natural light from the stars, making it harder to see them.” His voice was gentle as it always was when he was teaching you something. You grumbled.

“Then why can’t we tell them to knock it off! Don’t they want to see the stars, too?” Your mother looked towards the stars, a troubled expression clear to your eyes.

“They don’t, kid. They don’t value what they have as much as we do. We’re the lucky ones. You can still see the bright ones, can’t you. They’re trying extra hard, to light up the sky. You gotta appreciate their effort, kid.” You did. You really and truly did. You wondered if the monsters from the mountain missed the stars. 

“Welp. Time to hit the hay.” Your father had you around the middle, and slid down the tree, your mother in close pursuit. He was warm. Whenever there was something that troubled you, he would cradle you in his arms and give you and why and how of the problem. You loved your parents. You slowly fell asleep in your dad’s arms, dreaming of the stars and galaxies you saw in your father's textbook somewhere.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You drifted back to reality, your eyes adjusted to the darkness. Everybody was still in the room, the snores louder than before. You tried to think of something, anything, to take your mind away from the darkness. The books that you read during the seasons, coming back to take you away. Thoughts of dragons soaring in the clouds, dungeons unexplored, treasure to be found. Your mind always tended to wander. You thought of the ocean, the mountains, the earth. You thought of the solar system, galaxies, comets, asteroids, and the sun. You thought of black holes, white dwarfs, the universe… Your brain had began to hurt. It was stifling underneath this blanket. You continued to stare, not noticing the early rays of dawn showing through the blinds. You knew it wasn’t sunlight. You didn’t move, not until Papyrus began to stir. You flopped onto your right side, your left paw underneath the pillow, the right nested against your cheek. You didn’t notice the stray tear slip down your cheek. You feigned sleep, hoping that the next day would bring more luck than the previous. You hadn’t slept in three days. Perhaps you could break your record with four...


	7. Leaving The Skeleton In The Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You attempt to leave only to get into a snowball fight. The group is not ready to let you go, but you have to get to work. Your first quest, to map the entirety of Snowdin and its surroundings! You also meet a certain someone along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to let you guys know, I'll often read the comments so if you get a reply back or something, don't be alarmed. I enjoy reading the comments and if you ask a question, I'll be more than certain to answer in the next hour or two. See ya!

True Love And An Arsenal Of Snow

Papyrus had bought into your fake sleep, making sure you will still there before heading into the kitchen. He then began to noisily clatter about, the clang of clashing pots making you wince. If there was one thing you couldn’t stand, it was things like this. When your parents would sleep, you’d try to be as quiet as possible. It irritated the living shit out of you when people knew you were sleeping but insisted on making as much noise as possible. Still, you slept on, or at least tried, covering your head with a blanket. Damn the thinness! You were still warm despite the blankets lack of layers.   
You heard a groan of protest before a tall figure had shuffled past your paws and into the kitchen. The fins had given it away.

“Papyrus. What are you doing.” She sounded tired and slightly irritated. Perhaps she had the same problem as you.

“Making spaghetti pancakes.” What were those? You still didn’t know what spaghetti was, nor what pancakes are. You’d probably just find out later. There was a quick shuffle of feet. Undyne peered out the archway, peering at your sleeping forms, stopping to rest on your own. You had mastered faking sleep, your chest slowly rising and falling, eye gently shut, your mouth straight. She made a grunt of satisfaction before going back into the kitchen.

“Oh hell yes, nerd. Turn up the heat. We’ll surprise them with spaghetti and they’ll love it so much, they’ll beg for more. You heard a deep chuckle which sent chills down your spine. Whatever spaghetti pancakes were, they sounded sinister and something you definitely shouldn’t consume.

The two continued to meander the kitchen, grabbing random ingredients and vegetables. This was where you rethought your actions. Dude. What the heck.

Papyrus had leapt forth over the kitchen island, slamming down a pot onto the stove. A giant wave a water sloshed out of the pot and onto the kitchen floor. Undyne had ripped open a cupboard drawer and pulled out the spaghetti noodles, ripping the top off the box and dunking the thing in the pot, including the box. Papyrus began fiddling with the knobs, turning the heat to the highest setting. Undyne went back to the vegetables, eyeing them with a murdery smile. She then punched the vegetables at full force, the majority making a loud splattering sound as they made contact with the walls. The were severely beaten and some had rolled onto the floor.  
Grabbing a spare bowl, Undyne scraped the sauce off the walls, opening a loud container of sparkling glitter and dumping the entire worth of contents in there. Throwing the bottle elsewhere, she began mixing the substance adding in some milk, a couple eggs, more glitter, industrial paint..? The contents became thick and clumpy as she poured it into another pot.  
Papyrus on the other hand was having just as much fun, adding in some pipecleaners and cotton balls to the mix. Undyne began to tip the two together created a deformed spaghetti and glitter baby from the bowels of hell. The two then brought out a bag, the mix inside belonging to that of a pancake. Undyne ripped the bag open, making the mix inside go flying everywhere. It coated the walls, the ceiling, their faces, it was a mess. They added way more than necessary using almost half the bag. Papyrus left his spaghetti attended by Undyne who began to stir viciously with a mini spear, denting and gouging the poor pot. Papyrus came back with a giant bowl of water, pouring the entire bowl in and hastily mixing getting the shit ALL over the floor. Undyne readied a pan and poured a heap of cooking oil into it, turning the eye to a blazing heat.  
Wasting no time, Papyrus grabbed a measuring cap from the other cupboard and scooped a heap of the mixture into the pan. It sizzled and crackled with heat making you wonder if escaping was well worth it. They kept adding in the mixture, the house beginning to smell like something burning with a hint of sewage to it. 

You covered your nose, the smell making your eyes water.

The sizzling stopped long after and the smell was even more atrocious than before. The two noisily banged the pots and pans in the kitchen, Undyne hurriedly setting up the table. You began to get up, dread pooling in your stomach. The others had awoken to the smell, hesitating on getting up to see what the rush was about. You rubbed your eyes, and yawned, Frisk yawning silently.

“Mornin’ punks! Who's ready for some spaghetti pancakes?!” She yelled like a banshee as she ran back into the kitchen only to come back out with what looked like a pile of nope. The others seemed to have the same idea, as Toriel gave a small frown of disapproval, while Frisk had the expression of “what the fuck is this shit?!” Regardless, they all got up, ever so slowly making their way to the set table. If Frisk was scared, so were you. You sat in the middle, Sans to your left, Frisk to your right. Toriel sat across from you, eyeing the pancakes as if they’d dishonored her family. Alphys was more than shaking, her claws grasping the table in fear of the food in front of her. Papyrus had sat at one end of the table, next to Sans, while Undyne had taken the other end, next to Frisk.  
You slowly eyed your food. It was lumpy and discolored, bits of pipe cleaner and glitter oozing out the pancake. It smelled atrocious and it fell apart when you tried to pick it up. You didn’t know if you could stomach this or not, turning to look at the others who had the same expression. Papyrus was clearly waiting for someone to dig in. Welp. You firmly grasped the pancake, the entire pancake, and shoved it in your mouth. You visibly gagged but pulled off a smile, giving Papyrus a double thumbs up. Your stomach was heaving with nausea desperately panicking. ’Abort the mission! Abort the goddamn mission! It’s too much. You held onto the table, forcing yourself to swallow. In mid swallow, it suddenly went cold making you gag again, your stomach clearly fighting against you. ‘No! We must finish the pancake! And the next one! Stay strong, stomach! Stay strong!’ Your stomach had clearly disagreed as it began to rumble loudly. The others who still hadn’t touched theirs were giving you heavy looks of sympathy. You powered on, stomaching the next one, and the last one before your stomach gave up. You were most definitely gonna throw that up later. The pipe cleaners were a guarantee. 

“OH GOODY! DID YOU ENJOY MY SPAGHETTI PANCAKES THAT MUCH, MONSTER CHILD?” Oh, sweet Papyrus… You nodded your head in answer. Papyrus, who already finished his, took your plates into the kitchen. As soon as he left, you couldn’t take it any more. Your head collided with the table, a dull thud sounding. Your head was throbbing, your stomach was pulsing, and you were gasping for air. NEVER. NEVER AGAIN WOULD YOU STICK AROUND FOR THE DUOS COOKING. 

“Are you okay my child?” Toriel couldn’t see how much pain you were in right now. Even Undyne chipped in. She knew how bad she was at cooking.

“I’m *hic* just dandy. Just *wheeze* give me a sec.” You were dying, holding the tablecloth for dear life. You felt a sturdy arm pat your pack, gentle and soothing.

“we know how ,uh, bad it is but thanks for taking the first step.” You didn’t reply as your headache got worse. Everybody who’d seen your act of consuming the inedible pancakes had made sure Papyrus wasn’t looking before going outside and burying their portions in the snow. DEEP in the snow. No one would ever know. Heh. That rhymed. You got onto your paws, holding the table for support. The others who’d done the terrible deed, had arrived back inside, closing the door, and taking their now empty plates into the kitchen. Toriel came up to you, picking you up and setting you down gently on the couch. She gave you a gentle smile before going back into the kitchen.

As you lay on the couch, a familiar weight makes itself known on your lap. You look down at the small child in your lap, a small skeleton eyeing you all the same.

“thanks for tolerating my bro’s cooking. i know he’s not the best but he gives it his all.” You couldn’t bring yourself to hurt Papyrus’s feelings. You looked back at the skeleton, shrugging at an attempt to agree. Your stomach grumbled loudly, the contents trying to come back down again.

“the bathroom’s upstairs if you need it.” You shook your head. Not today, Satan. You sat holding your stomach, Frisk giving you supportive pats on the arm while Sans just eyed you slowly, not shaking eye contact as he downed a bottle of… ketchup. Welp. At seeing this, you couldn’t help yourself. You had to keep a hand over your mouth to keep from spitting up your lunch. You gave a random snort, the action uncalled for.

“what? don’t patella me you’ve never seen a person drink ketchup before.” Dammit Sans. You continued to laugh, your body shaking with laughter.

“did i tickle your funny-bone?”

“Sans! Stop it!” You kept laughing, Frisk clearly unamused by the punnery of the small skeleton.

“but i know you found it humerus.” You were apparently laughing so loudly that the others had come to investigate.

“SANS! STOP BERATING THE MONSTER CHILD WITH YOUR SILLY PUNS!” Papyrus looked mildly irritated, his bone brows furrowed in dismay.

“come on, bro, i was just-”

“SANS-”

“ribbing them.”

“NYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!” There went the table, flying across the living room and clattering loudly on the floor. You started hacking, the strain on your throat, hoarse from laughing.

“NYEH? ARE YOU OKAY, MONSTER CHILD?”

“I’m *choking sounds* okay!” Undyne had began to laugh along, Toriel giggling madly in the corner. The laughter ensued for a good long time, each having their own fun. It was when Toriel laid a hand on your shoulder that you stopped. Her eyes were sad, a knowing look glazing over her ruby red eyes. You knew what she was hinting at: your departure.

“Well, the horizon calls and I must follow it! I must leave you, my friends!” You shed a fake tear, Papyrus hastily getting to his feet and coming to your side.

“LEAVING?” Everybody stopped,the silence now rapidly gaining volume.

“Yeah. Though the parting hurts, you’ll see me around.”

“YOU PROMISE TO COME AND VISIT?”

“Promise.” You all made your way out the house, ignoring the strange lump of discolored snow hidden under the porch.

“See you around, punk.”

“See you, my child.”

“C-come back soon!”

“see ya later, kid.” You’d waved a goodbye, setting off across the snow towards the path to Snowdin. Suddenly, something cold and soft hit the back of your head. It stung a little. 

“What the-” You turned your head only to get hit again, straight in the face. You wiped the snow off, barely catching the tiny figure that barreled into your side. It was Frisk. They looked to be on the verge of tears, holding onto the sides of your sweater. They signed something in tears, clearly needing you to pay attention.

“Oh heck yeah! Prepare yourself punk! It’s time!” (Yu-Gi-Oh theme kicks in)

“For a snowball fight!” A spare snowball just barely missed your check. you wasted no time in dislodging Frisk from your sweater, kicking up snow in your wake. 

“NYEHEHE!” Snowballs were everywhere, flying in every direction as you dodged and weaved through the sea of cold projectiles. You spotted Undyne who was after Papyrus. Sneaking up to her, you dumped a whole handful of snow down her shirt. Note to self: Undyne screams like a little girl. She squealed and tried to retaliate, you already halfway across the field, a giant snowball at the ready. A flash of blue suddenly appeared in your vision. Heh. Your next target. Despite his bulky appearance, the skeleton could really move. You chanced you aim and lobbed a snowball at the small skeleton. It arched perfectly in the air, catching the artificial light on its surface, and soared right into Sans's right eye socket.   
Everything stopped. You had the audacity to comment.

“Score! Five. Points.” You said, in an announcer voice, your arms sticking straight up in the air. You accepted the sweet silence diving behind the lumps of snow. As soon as you, built up a pile of ammo, a loud crunch ripped through the air.

“Holy fuck.”

“NYEH?”

“Oh golly.” You didn’t dare peek out, digging yourself a hole and covering up your tracks. You didn’t turn back, the footsteps behind you growing louder and louder.

“Get em'! Get em’!” Undyne. Yours cheers are NOT helping. Your traction on the snow was slipping. He was catching up quickly. Fuck. You scrambled to get a foothold, breathing in rapid pants, heartbeat so fast it would leap out of your chest.

“YOU’RE SO CLOSE! DEFEAT THE MONSTER CHILD AND CLAIM VICTORY SANS!” Welp. Sans was so fucking close. You could hear him breathing. Hard. And then you lost. You tripped on a stray rock, your feet flying out from beneath you sending you face-first into the snow.

“NGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!” A chorus of screams and shouts only egged Sans on as his revenge was about to be icy fucking cold. You thrashed about, trying to get up but it was too late. Within seconds, thousands of snowballs began to pelt your form, striking everywhere but the mouth. Your entire body was consumed by the snow, you surrendering to the might of Sans. But Jesus Christ, he could’ve at least spared your sweater. But he didn’t. Scrambling out of the snow, you attempted to squirm the rest of the way out, trying to wipe the massive hills of snow of your body.   
The group was now screaming with delight, Sans in the middle, shooting you a playful glare.

“ice see you’re pretty stuck in there, huh kid?” No shit, Sherlock. You decided against flipping him the bird, instead trying once more to remove yourself from your icy prison.

“woah! chill out kid. i'll let you out, only on one condition.” You glared at the smaller skeleton, turning your head away. You attempted to melt the snow. Whatever magic this guy had was protecting the snow from your fiery wrath. 

“THE MONSTER CHILD HAS BEEN RENDERED HELPLESS!” Papyrus and Undyne were giving whoops and hollers, clearly not giving two fucks about your situation.

“you must declare your loss, and include a pun.”

“YOU WOULDN’T DARE!” Papyrus had stopped and looked between the two of you. Sigh. Dammit Sans. 

“Ahem.” Sans locked his eyes onto you, a shit-eating grin playing on his skull.

“This loss wounds my soul, snow joke. I declare my loss to you, Sans, even though you probably find this situation humerus. I hope you can forgive and forget as I don’t wanna be given the cold shoulder. I’ll have to be more carpal next time, and ulna most definitely accept this loss. Now can you free me out of this prison, you bone-head.” Toriel and Sans’s expressions were priceless. Papyrus looked ready to blow a gasket. Frisk had the most loathing scowl on their face, and so did Undyne. Alphys just stood outside the arena, a poker face fixed on.

“No more puns! Please!”

“ You cod it, bass.” Tibia honest, you were getting pretty good at these. Unintentional puns were always the best. The snow dispersed around you, freeing you of your snowy prison. You put your paws in your sweater, heating up the garment and filling it with warmth. You left the group without saying anything, fading into the shadows of the woods.

“kid?” You heard them call for you but you continued. It was fun while it lasted, but you had work to do. Where were you gonna go now? You weren't gonna stay with the group, being the independent kit that you are. The lights from town were starting to flicker on, a sign of the starting day. Fast footsteps tried to follow, hurrying to catch up but stopping short.

“Where’d you go, punk?” Maybe you’d visit. After you sought out your thoughts and what you should do. You were by yourself now and getting your shit together was the best alternative. You left the small city of Snowdin, stopping to pick up some paper at the shop before hurrying over the wooden bridge. Flecks of snow danced in the early rays of dawn. You were going to need that paper really soon. It was old and dry, thick and perfect for writing on. Along the way to the start, you encountered monsters, each which challenged you to small spars. You won each, taking care not to injure the monsters too badly. In return, some gave the small golden coins that that dog had given you at Grillbys. You soon discovered that it was gold, the common currency for monsters. You kept the money in your pocket, eager to save what you had.   
It was about mid afternoon that you found yourself back at the Ruins door. You weren’t going to go in, no. You had better things to do. You turned around, paper and pen at the ready. You needed to know your surroundings. And what better way than to document them yourself. It would keep you busy and would help keep your thoughts at bay. Something to do, at least. You set off the way you came, the fresh snow, crunching underneath your paws as you went, blending into the shadows of the forest. Two watched you go, a small smile hidden behind their hand, as they left.


	8. Adventures Around Snowdin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to get to work! You set off on your quest of mapping Snowdin. You see something familiar, bump into someone new, and into someone you recognize. Time is of the essence!

Adventures In The Tundra

The pine trees swayed dangerously in the harsh winds, snow blanketing the forest in its sheer cold. Everybody was either inside, warm and toasty, or out and about trying to finish their errands. You were the only person that couldn’t go somewhere warm. You’d taken the north path this time, hopping over the icy river and onto the field across. Pine needles littered the snow, jabbing into your paws with every step. You’d gotten decently far, scaling a couple cliffs and documenting each detail with precision. You even counted the trees and marked them, giving each a number.   
You slowly dragged your claws across the trees as you walked, the howling wind reaching into the trees and chilling you through your skin. You weren’t cold, despite for the lumps of snow that wall fall on your head sometimes. It was quiet. And lonely. You knew the loneliness and embraced it. You were confused at yourself sometimes. You don’t like talking to people but you don’t want to be alone. Sigh. Your claws slid off the tree, the splitting sound of bark disappearing. It was time for another location check.  
You grabbed onto the pine tree, digging each claw in and hauling yourself through the branches. The higher you got, the colder, as your paws would start catching snow in the dense canopies. You arrived at the top, your nose stinging from the harsh winds. The lake wasn’t too far and the trees seemed to never end. You were close to the cavern walls, the cold rock jutting upwards, sealing the cold in forever. You slid down the base, shaking off the snow, and continued your journey. You’d been at a fast-paced speedwalk when you heard tiny footprints trudging after you in the snow. You turned to look, coming face to face with a small white dog. It had clumps of fur stuck to it’s tiny body, it’s beady eyes filled with mirth. The dog carried a very large bone, what looked to be a femur, in it’s jaws, looking contented. As you stopped to look, the dog stopped, waiting for you to keep going. It wanted to follow.  
You continued through the woods, the little white dog following you joyfully, it’s tail wagging all the way. It took a minute of wandering before you came upon the lake. Its surface was completely frosted over, a thick layer of ice trapping the water inside. Clumps of white flowers littered the ground, a sweet and minty scent filling the air. You walked around the perimeter of the lake, graphing it on your makeshift map. It was coming together nicely. So far, you’d marked over 1,372 trees in the area. The flowers were a new addition, probably common to the underground. You didn’t pluck any seeing as how they were just flowers. It was a nice sight though, the rays of light bouncing off the ice and away into the cavern.   
You gave a short sigh. The white dog who’d finished their bone had pried its way into your lap, curling up into a ball and providing some of its warmth to you. You lifted a paw to stroke the dog, small sighs of content issuing from its muzzle. The dog fell asleep, using your lap as its pillow. You glanced tiredly at the ceiling of the cavern. The snow kept falling, more gently this time around. As a kid, it never snowed around Ebott. When winter rolled around, it was just very cold. Funny, you didn’t even notice that the thing you’d wanted to see for the longest time was reminding you of something you didn’t want to remember. How you’d begged your parents to see the snow.   
You stroked the small dog gently, taking time to go over the thoughts that you ignored earlier. You stopped and counted your gold, amounting to three hundred or something around there. You could try to make something, a house perhaps. But where? The others had mentioned more zones throughout the underground. You thought about making a journey through the underground, to map out the entire kingdom and to decide your fate. You could save up enough money and buy a plot, something to keep you tethered to reality. Picking the dog up, you cradled it in your arms, continuing on in the snow. The snow had stopped shortly after. You came across clearings here and there, resting when you could. The trip was tiring and you constantly had to use your magic to keep warm. You’d been out in the cold for far too long. The rays of light began to dim signaling the end of the day.   
The dog had woken up, squirming to free itself of your grasp. You let go, the dog flying away and launching itself into the woods. Perhaps it had an owner that was looking for it. You turned around, stopping when a familiar flash of green and yellow caught your attention. It once again vanished, leaving you confused and curious as to what it was. You stepped forward only to come face to face with the cavern walls. You could’ve turned around but you didn’t. Not when you saw a peculiar ledge that led along the walls. You hooked into the walls of the cave, hoisting yourself onto the ledge. It was dangerously narrow, your feet barely fitting on. You didn’t mind. Hooking your claws into the wall, you gazed over the treetops, spying various strangers settling into their homes. You spotted a large walkway opposite your wall, with iron stairs leading to another cavern. You’d explore that later.  
You walked on the ledge, mapping out how narrow the passage was and what it overlooked. Your map was almost done, the only other thing was the woods on the right of Snowdin. You were in the woods to the left. You spotted the bridge and the abyss you fell into. You wanted to explore that abyss too. So many things to do, so much time to do it. A gust of icy winds made you shiver, huddling in on yourself and deploying your fire magic. You had lots of magic. You’d last for a good long while. The ledge had hugged the left side of the cavern, leading off into a wide snowy field. A thick river cut through, huge ice cubes drifting into the darkness. You jumped over the river, stopping when the outline of the brothers house came into view. You wondered if that bone was one of theirs. Shaking your head you continued back into the woods. The other side was equally the same, various trees filling the landscape and large branches of frozen rivers cutting through the snow. A large clearing came into view, the cliff overlooking a huge field of snow, the angle steep and perfect for sledding.   
The darkness was quickly arriving. You gathered piles of snow, pushing and forcing them together to create an igloo of sorts. You hollowed out the bottom, enough room for two of you to sleep back to back. You crawled inside, your map laying out on the floor, ready to be filled in. Your map was done. Well, almost. You’d neglected to fill out Snowdin, leaving before the group could pursue you any further. Capping the pen and rolling up the map, you lay on your back, your thoughts drifting to the parts you didn’t explore. While you could do them tomorrow, you still had to map out the other cities. You could always come back to the small bits later. You did however spot a path that led away from Snowdin. You should probably check that out. You fell into a small nap, not dreaming of anything except the small white dog from earlier. Whose dog was that?

 

You’d woken up somewhere in the middle of the night. A warm mass was curled up beside you, its chest rising and falling gently. A stray leg struck out, gently poking your side. You rubbed at your eyes, spotting the white dog from earlier. It’s tongue hung out, little tail twitching in it’s sleep. You only just noticed how warm it was in the igloo that was your Snowdin base. You crawled out and into the cold, your head complaining and begging to go back inside. You ignored your head, shaking the bits of snow off your clothes and heating them up. Today was the day you would see what that path was. You had bits of snow sticking to your hair, which melted into water. Great. Gotta love wet hair. And least you didn’t smell like a wet poodle.  
The lights in the cavern were nonexistent, your handy dandy night vision coming into effect. As you stepped out into the open, you spotted a house, the skelebro’s house. It was dark inside, everybody either being asleep or not there at all. You set past it heading to the right. What you didn’t know was that a lone figure spotted your figure from the balcony. The house had disappeared behind you, the snow and river being the only things to come up. You’d taken a step forward, bumping into something warm and sturdy. You shook your head, craning your neck to look at the figure in front of you. It was Sans. He had his usual grin plastered onto his skull, the only difference was the intensity of the bags under his eye sockets.

“heya.” Relax Lion. He’s not gonna do anything. But it was early in the morning. What was he doing up?

“Yo.” You liked being casual, hooking your thumbs in your pockets. He stared at you and you stared back. 

“what are you doing out here, so early in the morning, pal?” Alright. Question time, commence!

“Even though I should be asking you the same question, I’m still exploring.”

“still?” He seemed surprised at your situation, you shrugging at your position and pointing towards the path.

“I’d just recently finished mapping out the contents of the area surrounding Snowdin. I’d figured that I should explore the other regions, too.”

“you gonna be alright exploring by yourself, kiddo?” There it was the suspicion from earlier about you being prone to death. You couldn’t blame him. If you were in his place, you’d be worried about yourself too.

“welp. over that way is Waterfall. it’s cold, wet, and full of echo flowers.”

“Echo flowers?”

“yeah. echo flowers. you say one thing to em’ and they’ll repeat it back.” They sounded cool. You could imagine yourself pranking some unsuspecting monster with these flowers. Perhaps.. Maybe they were those ones you saw at the lake.

“What color are they?” He looked taken aback at your question, stopping to think, before answering.

“a sort of bluish green. why?” 

“While I was exploring, I found these flowers near a lake.”

“hold on. you were near a lake?” 

“Yeah, why?” 

“the lake’s pretty far away kid. almost no one goes out there.”

“What. Scared?”

“nevermind. Just make sure not to go using the flowers for bad purposes.” He looked away, a slight frown on his skull. There was seriously a bad way to go using these flowers? Huh. Who knew flora could be used for pure evil?

“Yeah. Okay. I’ll see you around, Sans.” Sans waved a goodbye and stepped back into the house. You turned on your heel, setting out for this supposed Waterfall. You almost made a face when he mentioned how wet it’d be. You loved the rain when it came, but you’d had your fair share of being cold and wet for the day. The lights in the sky were beginning to brighten, the early rays of dawn coming down. Citizens would be out and about soon. The time sure flies by fast, huh? The path to Waterfall was long and silent, the waves of the water lapping at the sides. Ice cubes floating past, chilling the water even more than it needed to be. Snow started to fall again and you wrapped your arms around yourself, depleting your magic once more. Seems you wouldn’t get a break, huh? Your magic points had renewed themselves over night, leaving you full of energy and magic. With another sheet of paper and your pen at the ready, you continued on the path to Waterfall, hoping that it couldn’t get any worse than the cold of Snowdin. You were wrong. So wrong.


	9. The Journey Through Waterfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You just finished mapping Snowdin, the region of Waterfall calling out towards you. You meet a new friend, get in a fight, and discover the sad truth of things.

A Boat To Carry You

You didn’t expect to be confronted by your fear so quickly. The scenes of Snowdin and the caves of Waterfall had melted so perfectly together. Sans had told you that it would be wet but you didn’t expect the bottomless pools of water to litter the cavern. At first, the marsh was nothing to be concerned about, except for random people to jump out. Little drips of water fell from the ceiling, connecting with the pools of water at the bottom. Large crystals hung from the ceiling, shining with the brightness of a star. The water gave off a teal light, illuminating the cavern ceiling, the sound of cascading water filling the air. Sans was right about the flowers. The little fuckers were everywhere, documenting your trips and stumbles.   
What scared you was the water, really. On the surface, you knew what the ocean was but it scared you. Sure, you could swim in deep waters, but the ocean was a watery death trap that surrounded multiple continents. You were glad that you lived in a place that wasn’t close to the ocean. You like breathing, thank you very much. The sound of water got louder and louder, sounding more and more like rain. You breathed out, giving a little twirl in the grass. Despite the deep waters, it was beautiful here. You could stay here but the water made you slightly anxious.   
You looked out, the end of the water nowhere in sight. The ceiling of this cave was higher than that of Snowdin’s, making the echos more pronounced. It wasn’t as cold in here, puddles dotting the floor, but that was it. You remember seeing a small shape bounding through the tall grass but you couldn’t be too sure. Even though you could hear the tunes of the droplets, you still felt the silence creeping up on you. The echo flowers kept murmuring something to each other, you couldn’t quite catch the words. You were covered in scratches and bruises, slipping in the puddles, and tripping on stray rocks.   
The sight of the waterfalls here and there were breathtaking. They were large and powerful, it being difficult to stand near one. Small rocks were built at the top of the summit, constantly raining down around you, falling with a plink into the crystal clear waters. You extended your arms to touch the water’s surface. It was icy cold. You retracted your paw, the tiny water droplets landing on your skin. They glowed. You stuck your paws back in, breathing through the cold, and scooped up a handful. The entire pool glowed in your hands, a source of light against the gloomy backdrop. You let the water slip back in, the remainder sliding down your wrist and into your sweater.   
It was hard not to get lost. There was so much to see, you were constantly stopping and taking in the sights. What you really wanted to do was climb up the walls to the ceiling. The crystals that were perched up there were not stars, but from here they looked like them. Up close, they were probably huge. Maybe later. The puzzles weren’t that hard, a few confusing, like the lily pad puzzle. You’d messed up, always getting the trajectory and angle wrong. Still, the sight of the flowers lighting up in synch was breathtaking. Despite your cluelessness, you found a secret passageway, the lilies leading to a stray bench overlooking a pond. There was a quiche underneath, cold and hard as a rock. You left it there, the owner was gonna get angry if some punk stole their sandwich. You walked back to the room with the bell, the lily pads in perfect order leading onto the next room. The ting of a bell sounded from somewhere behind you. You turned, spotting the thing from earlier.  
It was a cat-dog creature with long gray hair and a small striped sweater. For some reason, they seemed to be wearing a golden collar. The thing gazed at you, taking in your appearance and following you step for step across the lilies. The monster was oh so small, and you wanted to pet it so badly. You didn’t make small conversation, seeing as how the monster looked busy. Apparently, you were wrong.

“Are we going the same way?”

“Most likely.”

“Sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Bob. And you are..?”

“Name’s Lion. Nice to meet ya.” The echos of your conversation bounced of the walls, making you nervous. Extremely nervous. Bob walked a little faster, shooting you a big grin before synching into your steps.

“Most of the tems don’t bother talking to me. I don’t exactly know why. It’s nice to see a friendly face around here for once!”

“For once?”

“Yeah.” Bob looked down at his paws. He looked downtrodden and sad. You wanted to comfort the poor guy but you were merely acquaintances. That would be weird.

“Ever since news got out about the barrier malfunction, monsters have been… a lot crueler. Everybody’s depressed, whether our faces show it or not. We’d been hoping that the human child would be the last soul, that we could go free. We were wrong to get our hopes up like that.” Bob had stopped at the boardwalk, you sitting beside him. You didn’t know what to say.

“Nobody wants to do anything any more. Even the tems are different. Nobody’s happy. What with the loss of the royal scientist, the malfunctioning of the barrier, and now this. Now we have to wait for more humans to fall. And we don’t even know if there will be!” Bob was loosely sobbing, his tears falling into the murky waters below. Fuck it. You rubbed the tems back, giving comforting pats now and then. You knew how to listen and if the guy needed comfort and stability, you’d at least give that to him.

“We’ll never know what the stars are like, what fresh air is like, what… freedom.. is like. You get what I’m saying. Because of that, mostly all of the monsters are acting like jerks. Fighting the elderly, raising hell for the king, and doing just bad crimes.” You raised your eyebrows at that. The monsters you’d met so far had been friendly and kind, some even going as far to try to keep you with them. You felt a great sadness pool in your heart.

“The guy tries, really! He probably doesn’t know wasn’t going on, and I can’t blame the guy! I just wished that everything was easier, that the humans could understand what it’s like, trapped here with no way of getting out… and sometimes… I wish I didn’t have to deal with this. That I didn’t have to exist and that I could fade away and watch as the world goes by without me. And least I could be free at last.” You hugged the tem, the sobs getting louder and their tiny paws clutching onto your sweater for dear life. You felt yourself crying with the tem. Their situation was terrible and knowing that it was so bad, that the guy didn’t want to exist tore your heart in two.

“You can’t give up. Even if the world comes crashing down at your feet, and it seems as though nothing is going right, keep going! It may seem bad now but things will get better! We’ll find a way out of this. We’ll get out and you can see the stars! You could taste the fresh air and find freedom! Just don’t give up hope!”

Bob had stopped crying, his sobs becoming sniffles and then all was quiet. The tem had fallen asleep on your shoulder, soft whimpers echoing in their sleep. You rubbed their back, continuing on your way. There was a large plank of wood, thick and sturdy. It had oars laying on the surface, perfect for getting across the large body of water in front of you. You stepped into the boat, gently setting Bob down on the back of the boat. It was higher there and he was less likely to fall off. You got to your knees, taking the oars and moving them back and forth, moving the plank through the choppy waters.   
The steady drip of water was calming, taking you away from the depressing thoughts of this land. If what Bob said was true, then the monsters were stuck in a really deep hole. You didn’t know if you wanted to leave, but the other monsters. Here you were, happy and carefree exploring the land that’s been here for centuries. And then there was the monsters, who’d been trapped for centuries, desperate for change, desperate for freedom at last. You were still crying, the salty tears cascading down your cheek and splashing against your sweater. This was reality and you couldn’t blame the tem for his suicidal thoughts.  
You looked back at him, his small chest rising and falling to the dip of the waves. You didn’t know where the shore was but it had to be somewhere. Until then, you could think about your situation, taking out your map and pen, drawing your previous surroundings and putting them away. All that was left to do was row.

 

It had taken quite some time, the sea seeming to go on forever. If you knew how far the shore was, you would’ve turned tail and ran. Sigh. Another pun, eh brain. The sandy shore came into view, multiple clumps of echo flowers here and there. It was darker over here, the slap of the water against the sand strangely chilling. You picked up the small tem, hauling him over your shoulder and leaving the boat behind. As you looked back, the oars seemed to rotate by themselves, leaving the shore and disappearing into the horizon. You shivered. Creepy. You didn’t know where this tem lived but you could try to find out, looking for any signs of the locals. You came upon a small hallway, three exits in sight: one to the left, one straight ahead, and one to the right. You gazed into the left exit, coming face to face with a turtle monster. He seemed to keep his eyes on the sleeping tem, then they slowly wandered over to you.

“Say, young missy. What’re ya doing with that tem on yer’ shoulder?” He spoke softly with a weird, indescribable accent.

“Well sir, I happened to meet this tem earlier and they happened to fall asleep. You don’t happen to know this guy, do you?”

“I sure do, lass! If you go down the hall to the right, you should come across a wide room of water. Go on through and you’ll find yourself in a room of lanterns. The village should be somewhere off the path in that room. Sorry if that’s no help!” 

“It’s no problem! Thank you sir!”

“Call me Gerson.”

“Thank you Gerson.” He was kind, giving you a quiet goodbye as you left, the sleeping tem still over your shoulder. His fur felt warm and fluffy, you being helpless to stop yourself from running your paws through the tem’s hair. He seemed to appreciate this, and nuzzled further into your neck, the feeling warm. You furthered your stride. Bob would be waking up real soon so you should probably get him home as fast as possible.  
Gerson was right as you stopped at the four section. To the north as you exited the shop was a wide river, empty and silenced of all noise. To your right was the way you came, you could still hear the waves slapping against the shore. To your left was a wider path, a small island occupied by a monster who was busy staring at the sky. The lights from above made their eyes sparkle and you had to tear yourself away from their form. The paths were surrounded with water, intricate and small details catching your eye. One thing that stood out was a lone lily pad, dancing on the edges of the water, lonely and useless with its friends. You stooped down to touch the small flower, it’s petal as soft as silk. The waterfall nearby was glowing with vigor, stray lily pads falling over the edge and into the fray.   
You kept every detail, even going as far as stopping to draw them and take notes. The mushrooms were the weirdest quirk, glowing at your touch and providing a loud squeak when you happened to run your fingers over them. You gave a faint smile and pushed on, ignoring the tiny text boxes mounted on the wall. The overabundance of grass came back, tickling the bottoms of your paws, some pieces being as sharp as needles. You progressed further until you reached a room. It was terribly dark in here, the only thing standing out being the various mushrooms and other unsuspecting rocks. Welp.  
You went slowly through the room, your footsteps echoing off the cavern walls. The mushrooms were making themselves useful, lighting up when you touched them, lighting the way. Gerson had mentioned the village being located off the path. You pricked your ears, listening for any noise in the room. There it was. A low murmur was passing through the room in the corner, where it just so happens to be pitch. You swallowed your fear, stepping into the tall grass and into the darkness. You unlatched a paw from the tem, igniting your fire magic to light up your surroundings. You discovered that there was a path, forged from cobblestone with bits of shells littering the side lines. The noise got louder and louder, you vanishing your fire magic. The cavern was still dark but a faint light up ahead told another story. You walked You walked faster, arriving in a small but somewhat loud village. Small monster that looked just like Bob sat here and there, chatting nervously amongst themselves, tension thick in the air. You walked in, the other tems locking eyes with you, immediately dropping whatever they were doing, and gathering around you and Bob. The tems began to growl one by one, each having their own snarl, hackles raised, and ears flattened. You backed away, increasing your grip on the sleeping tem.  
Before you could say anything, one of them lunged, missing your throat by a hair. They rest followed suit, surrounding you and trapping you against the wall. Some were spitting flecks of foam from their maws, obviously angered, at what you didn’t know. The bigger ones were on the outside, daring you to make a run for it. Each had jagged teeth, perfect for ripping flesh. Another lunged and you sidestepped, accidentally jostling Bob from his nap. It was a frenzy of tems. One had latched onto your thigh and bit down, teeth connecting with bone. You cried out in pain, falling onto your back, supporting Bob nonetheless. The other tems followed soon and soon they were swarming around you, each finding their own bit of flesh and hooking into it. You felt the blood gushing out of your body, your vision starting to fade into black. 

“Lion! Lion, wake up! Please!” It was pointless. The blood loss was too great and you fell to the darkness, the cold wrapping around you and seeping into your body. You felt the muscles in your body stretch and multiply, replacing the muscle anew. You felt your skin tighten and the blood in your arteries and veins to race. The skin had repatched itself but not fully, the rip marks were red and angry, painful to the touch. The arch of light had reappeared once again, the number from 1-8. The clock hand moving from eight to seven, the number eight fading away into the void. The painful ringing from your first death had commenced, the bell getting louder and louder, until it got so loud that you passed out from the pain. Your vision turning black once more, you faded into unconsciousness.  
The first thing you felt was the wetness. It was dark and hazy. The smell of blood was heavy in the air along with smoke and a tang of mushrooms. You rubbed at your eyes, recoiling at the feeling of water droplets on your eyelids. You opened your eyes, the cavern ceiling above you, the stars brighter than before. They were the only thing illuminating the cave. You felt icy cold waves slap against your neck, your limbs all unmovable at the given moment. Your sweater was heavy with water, dragging you deeper into the sea. You flipped over, kicking your legs to keep you afloat. You were floating off shore near the turtle monster’s shop. You swam towards the shore, panting with exhaustion. You soaked, shivering and slightly bleeding. You deployed your fire magic, the intense heat evaporating the water from your clothes. You heated your entire body, the act more draining than the previous hours.   
It was night time. The stone door to Gerson’s shop was closed, the mushrooms had dimmed down, heck even the water was deathly still as you made your way back. Despite that village being full of his own race, and that he was okay enough to speak to you before your death, you let him be. You’d lost another life, and with each the going getting harder. The red welts all over your body protested in pain, the chaffing of the sweater and shorts, too much. You had to use your night vision to see better. It was scarier than ever. Apparently, nights in Waterfall were dark and quiet. As was the nights in Snowdin and the Surface. But this silence held something more than the dreams of the sleeping. In this silence, you could hear a pin drop from two rooms over, if you tried. You could hear the slight scrape of rocks against rocks, your paws numb and despite your warmth, you were trembling. The underground was scary, no matter how friendly some of the inhabitants were.   
Why had the tems attacked you? You could still feel their sharp teeth ripping into your flesh and tearing out the muscle. You still heard the snarls and the pleas of Bob, even the ringing of the bell in the void. You felt hot tears slip down your cheek and down your neck. This wasn’t what you were expecting. Not at all. How long had you been out? There were silent movements in the dark, taking your thoughts to the present. You remembered what Bob had said. How some of the locals had become unreasonably angry. Perhaps you were about to be the latest victim. You ignited your fire magic, the scarlet and gold flames illuminated the walls around you. It became apparent of what was hiding in the shadows. It was a jelly like monster, piled in the corner, weeping. You knew what is was weeping about. Well, you could make a pretty accurate guess. You moved closer, the monster recoiling and hissing at you, it’s body swaying like that of a cobra. You hurriedly backed away, turning tail and running out the nearest exit.  
You were scared. It was much more terrifying during the night. You went past the room with the tems, coming upon a small room with crystals and lanterns. The crystals gave a violet hue the closer you got, lighting up much light the mushrooms during the day. The lanterns were useless, their wicks completely gone and the candles in small waxy piles. You flattened your ears. When would the daytime come again? How would the daytime come again? You trudged forward, a deep pool of fear settling in your stomach.  
You’d soon came upon a boardwalk, another one below it as if providing backup. It was silent, except for the occasional drip of water from the sealing. Your footsteps were loud against the wood, the clicking of your claws echoing off the walls. The boardwalk went in every direction, the one underneath following the same. You dared to look beneath you. The altitude had dropped severely, a thick fog floating around the bottom. You weren’t sure if there was water down there. You continued coming on a section of the boardwalk that led into a dead end. The wood was heavily splintered, a couple pieces dangling by the tip. You tried another path, getting even more lost in the darkness. You’d finally found a way out, a small inlet in the river that you’d passed by the first time. You walked down the path, a low howling wind issuing from the room next door. The room held a bridge, just like the Snowdin one. This one, however, was shorter in length and a wood panel was out of place somewhere in the middle. The water continued to drip from the ceiling, not a sound issued from the depths.  
You suddenly remembered why you were here, taking out your map of Waterfall and filling in the recent places you’d been to. You made sure to add the tem village but added warning labels to steer yourself away. The map was pretty good so far. You had to add on more paper to the map just to document the whole thing but it was perfect. You stuffed the items back into the sweater pocket, the map rustling gently by your movement. The bridge was sturdy, supporting your weight ALL the way across. You’d made it over, the next room lighter than yours. You skimmed over the stray pebbles, eager for better lighting. It was still dark, your paws still covered with the flames licking at your sweater cuffs. The sides of the walkway fell away into the darkness, large, jagged rocks in the distance. The real kicker was the giant rock hill in front of you. The summit was high, and the rock was too smooth for your claws to get a grip on. An endless tunnel cut through the base, the darkness sheltering in the depths. You increased the heat of your fire, the flames going from golden to a flickering white and blue. You took a gulp of air, and stepped into the tunnel, your paws never stopped moving. The slap of the waves on the river bank filled the tunnel as you sped through, the light of your fire bouncing off every surface. More ice cubes floated down the river, smaller than the others. You continued forward, a bend in the tunnel signaling a different direction. You turned, noticing an out of order sign that hung on the wall.   
A bright light wavered from beyond your reach, you getting closer and closer. You felt the cold be washed away by intense heat, the light dazzling. You squinted the rest of the way, the light starting to burn your corneas. The icy chill of Waterfall had been blown away, an intense heat making you sweat. You made your fire vanish, rolling up your sleeves to prevent from overheating. You looked back, the dark walls of Waterfall far behind. You took out your map, marking the tunnels and the smaller details. You’d been in such a hurry that you missed some key points, but it was dark and you feared what was in it. The area you were in now was bright and hot, the walls glowing with the light of the magma. Magma? You peered over the walls, the rocks warm on your paws. Yup. That was most definitely magma. You pulled your hair back, keeping it away from your face. The last thing you needed was to fall in the lava and die, so soon after the other.  
You looked forward onto the new region. A mammoth machine stood in the distance, a chilling hiss issuing from it. Steam filtered out the top, the steam rolling together before fading out of existence. You’d now finished Waterfall so perhaps this was Hotland? It certainly fit the bill. So this was new. You pulled out more paper, and with a pen at the ready you set off again.


	10. To Hotland, My Good Sir!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get out of the darkness of Waterfall, the steamy weather of Hotland awaiting you with open arms and bubbling magma. As you continue forward, you bump into a friend, who's more than curious as to who you really are. The truth comes forward but will it help your situation at all?

A Steamy Proposal

You’d just made it out of Waterfall, the welts from earlier flaring up at the heat. The heat was stifling, making you sneeze loudly before rubbing your nose. It was hot. Way too hot. You hardly noticed how much your senses were dulled before you bumped into something. Or more like someone. The individual steadied you and backed up, the person being none other that Sans. He’d looked as if he’d just gotten up out of bed. The smell of ketchup and metal was stronger, making sure his particular scent would stay in your roster forever.

“heya kiddo. you look like you’ve been busy.” You tried to reply, but nothing came out. You tried again, this time a small whimper coming out. Your throat began to throb, and you started to panic. When did this happen?

“you alright there, bud?” You threw Sans the most sarcastic look, narrowing your eyes, before you took out an extra piece of paper and your trusty pen. You began to write down something hastily, the pen flying over the paper. Checking it, you flipped the paper around showing it to the small skeleton.

“you... can’t talk, huh?” You nodded

“so you have to talk to me with just paper?” You nodded again, moving you left paw to your throat for exaggeration. 

“so why can’t you talk?” You shrugged, not even knowing the answer yourself. You looked back only to see Sans studying your body. Shit. Your legs were full of cuts and bruises, not to mention the welts.

“you looked real dinged up, kit. i take it, Waterfall wasn’t your cup of sea?” You groaned on the inside, moving a hand to hold your face, all the while, involuntarily giggling. 

“so... water you planning to do now, kit? i sea you’ve made it to Hotland. gotta say, i’m surfprised to see you actually made it through in one piece. tide must’ve underestimated you, as you seem to be fine. anything fintresting happen in there?” You wanted to backhand Sans so hard right now, but you stopped yourself. You nodded, motioning to the cuts and bruises on your body with another obviously sarcastic look, a scowl portraying your emotions.

“what happened?” 

‘Tems’

“seriously? the temmies did this to you?” You nodded, furiously writing the happenings of the last hour on the piece of paper, writing small as to fit all the words. You flipped around the paper, your frown deepening at his disbelieving smirk.  
“oh really? kid, there’s no way the temmies did that. they’re not cannibals, kid. they were probably worried about their friend.

‘They costed me a LIFE Sans. No matter how you look at THAT, that’s still awry.’ You flipped around the paper, showing Sans just how serious you were about those tems. You were never going in there again. As soon as he began to read it, a very worried expression came into view, the lights in his sockets dimming but not disappearing. You were crossing your arms, a ‘what now?’ expression playing on your own face.

“oh. so you’re on your…?”

‘Seventh life now.’ Losing another life in such a short span had taken a toll on you, your magic being less effective. It would gain normal power later. Sans held the paper out to you, your paws taking the paper.

“hey. i mean, i did warn you.”

‘You didn’t warn me of the barbarian temmies, nor did you warn me of how dark it gets in there at night.’ You showed Sans the paper. He gave deep chuckle and messed up your hair with his phalanges. Gosh darnit. You remembered what time it was and scribbled onto the paper again.

‘Speaking of which, why are you up so late? It’s somewhere during the night in Waterfall. You can’t really tell in Hotland.’ Sans read the question carefully, stopping to think of an answer.

“couldn’t sleep so i decided to take a walk.”

‘Who takes walks late at night in a fiery hellhole? Not that I’m judging you or anything but aren’t the others worried?’ You could feel your throat loosening, the pressure gone for now.

“nope.” Welp. Okay.

“hey kid, i gotta question to ask you.” You nodded, turning your body to face him, your ears pricked and at the ready. He looked torn between something, small beads of sweat that you didn’t see before slowly rolling down his skull. His normal grin was still there but, more forced than usual.

“i know that i’m probably overlooking this and all, but it’s been stuck in my skull for the longest time. what i’m trying to ask is… um… where’s your soul? i can’t see it, no matter how hard i try and it’s really starting to bug me.” His eyes were staring holes into your own, his hands beginning to fumble with the corners of the ignored paper. You remembered back to that night in Snowdin when you, Sans, and Frisk were walking back to his home from Grillbys. You’d felt eyes burning into your chest, but you’d looked at the two. He didn’t seem to be looking… But he was. You began to sweat, not from the heat, no. The tension began to amplify, so thick you couldn’t slice it with a sharp knife. You grabbed the piece of paper, trying to pull the paper out but to no avail. You cleared your throat and spoke with words so quiet and hoarse that you had to strain yourself to speak normally.

“I have a soul. Two to be precise, but nobody except myself can see them. It’s in it’s normal place. Right here.” You put your right paw over the left side of your chest, trembling and trying not to lose your cool. It was time for the truth. You’d gone far enough.

“two? h-how?” 

“A birth mutation. I just happened to be born with two. One monster, one human.” The lights of his eyes had immediately dimmed to nothing when you mentioned the human soul. This was it. This was where everything would change.

“stats.” 

“Wha-”

“i need to see your stats.” His voice had lost it’s calm and laid back attitude, sharpening in a serious you’d never heard before. You placed your hand over your heart, closing your eyes. You could hear your heartbeat, beating hard and fast. You felt your SOULS and tugged, a sharp pressure in your chest before vanishing. In front of you, floated two souls, one, an upside-down monster soul, the contents, a darker white than normal. The human soul had changed, the flames from inside had whittled down to become weaker a faint green glow shining from the inside, contained by the thick glassy covering. You pressed against both SOULS, a menu of stats hovering above. Sans had immediately snapped his eyes onto the menu scanning if for something abnormal. 

NAME: Hazel (Lion)  
Hp: 700  
LV: 1  
EXP: 0  
TO THE NEXT LV: 10

ATK: 80 DEF: 80  
SPK: 100 SPD: 120  
EVD: 50 ACC: 90

“TOUGHER THAN YOU THINK.”

Sans gave a sigh of relief. No Lv. No EXP. Heh. He was expecting something else to happen. You closed the menu, allowing for a couple more seconds of visual contact before letting your SOULS sink back into their resting spot. The heavy pressure had built up again before vanishing. You looked back to Sans, the lights came back but they were still did. You had a feeling he was going to ask you more questions.

“so you’re a boss monster huh? that monster soul you have is darker than normal, and only boss monsters have difference in shades. so explain how this is possible when the only boss monsters down here are the king and the queen.” You fucking knew he’d ask this question. Welp. They say that the truth will set you free. Might as well start flapping your gums.

“Would you believe me if I said that I’m from the surface?”

“probably not.”

“Okay. Remember that human you were looking for the day we met?” You saw him narrow his eyes at you, searching for… something.

“Well, that human was me. Well, not necessarily a human, but a convincing one!” 

“why should i believe you?”

“Well, I was the one who skipped some puzzles, left the water puddles all over the ground, stepped in the flowers, ran through the corridor, melted Toriel’s door hinges off, messed up the carpet, opened not one but TWO doors and fled. And if that’s not convincing enough, I can describe every step of my journey here.”

“okay. stop.” Sans had closed his eye sockets, his phalanges pressed against his mandible. He’d stopped sweating, the light of the magma shining on his skull.

“so you fell from the surface?”

“Well, not entirely fell. I was deliberately pushed by something into the hole.”

“why would you come to a mountain where children go missing?”

“It was my parent’s final wish before they died on the surface.”

“wait a second. with all those humans on the surface, there had to be some bad ones. you or your parents could’ve brang seven souls to the king. well, why not?” Ah. You were afraid of this question. You knew the monsters would get mad at your parent’s selfish act. Sigh. Here goes.

“My parents didn’t free the monsters because of the time span. Humans still knew of monsters and were murdering the masses even as the majority were trapped underground. Freeing you would just bring more bloodshed than necessary. They wanted to wait until the humans were less viscous, that day never coming. We couldn’t even get the necessary materials, none of the humans having the desired trait of DETERMINATION. It was a rare soul to find, and majority of ours were BRAVERY, PERSEVERANCE, and a few humans with JUSTICE. We wanted to help really, but they knew the consequences.” Your eyes had clouded over, remembering that the humans had finally had their day. When the incident occurred all those years ago. You looked towards Sans. He was angry, wasn’t he? He was going to hit you, wasn’t he? He was gonna declare the long imprisonment of the monsters to be all your fault. The truth hurt. It cut deep scars in your SOULS. You knew what was gonna happen next.  
You got up, picking up the paper and pen that was lying on the ground. Sans looked torn, as if he was trying to piece together something but couldn’t. You threw one last look at him before leaving. A set of phalanges wrapping around your wrist held you in place. 

“wait.” 

“That’s what I’m doing now.”

“just-” 

“That’s the truth. There is no supposed human running amok in the underground. That was just me. I’m from the surface and now I’m down here.”

“but why though? you have the duo of needed souls to cross the barrier. why would you come down here, knowing the situation as it is?”

“I told you. My parents didn’t’ want me to fall to the humans after they’d perished so they wished for me to rejoin with the monsters. Simple as that.’

“don’t you want to go back?”

“No. Not really. Despite the situation down here, it’s a lot more peaceful down here, despite the bad parts. To me, this place is like a safe haven, but to the locals, it’s like a maze with no way out. I get why you’d ask me that question, and I know your outlook on the underground. But the surface isn’t all happy and great as monsters make it to be. And if somehow, the barrier is broken, you’ll see what I mean.” You gazed away from the shocked skeleton, your eyes roaming over the bubbling magma.

“And it’s not like I could be of help. My soul IS useless. It’s a positive negative soul. I can’t absorb any souls nor can anybody absorb mine. That’s my life for ya. Nothing but a…” You wanted to finish that sentence with ‘mistake’. Or perhaps ‘joke’ would better fit the situation. You were no help to the monsters, not your parents, no one. You couldn’t do a damn thing but cower and hide behind your magic and your extended lives, the only things which got you this far.

“You should get home. The morning will be here soon.”

“kid.” 

“Yeah?” You were ready to walk away, to be done with the truth and to be free, but elsewhere.

“you said it was just you by yourself, right?”

“Yeah.”

“so just where exactly are you heading to?”

“I don’t really know. I just want to map out the Underground.”

“ya’ know, if you don’t have a place to stay, which you don’t, you could always come stay with me and Papyrus. everybody misses you, and Tori’s worried sick about you.”

“I doubt that.”

“but can you consider it?”

“I don’t want anybody’s pity. I’ll just stick it out and see where it leads me.”

“that’s a really bad idea, kid.”

“I know, but what other choice do I have? It’s not like they gave me specific instructions! They just told me to go down to the mountain! To rejoin my kin!” You were getting impatient. The tension was rising higher and higher. You liked to be independent and hated the looks of pity. You’d be fine on your own.

“and after that?”

“I don’t know! Build a house or something! It doesn’t matter right now.”

“where have you been sleeping?”

“Haven’t slept. At all. I’ve been on my feet ever since I left your house, not counting that igloo.”

“igloo?” 

“It’s hidden somewhere in the woods.”

“you’re killing me here, kid.”  
“Hey! I never asked you to listen to my present woes! I’m doing perfectly fine on my own! Despite the cuts and bruises, I’m still alive!”

“yeah, but you’ve already lost two lives. what about the others?” You went quiet at that. You weren’t’ sure what was lying ahead. You made it through the Ruins, Snowdin, and now Waterfall. You could handle yourself. Even if that meant losing a life.

“all i’m tryin’ to say is, take care of yourself, kid. you may think you’re all alone in this world, but you’ve got friends to fall back on. dying is nothing to brag about.”

“I know but-” You didn’t get to finish. Sans had wrapped you in a hug, the exterior of his jacket warm and the pungent smell of ketchup stronger than before.

“see ya around, kit.” And with that he was gone. You weren’t sure where he went or just how fast this skeleton could move. You were now by yourself. The impact of his words cut into you. Hard. You didn’t like using the word friend. It was a misused word, one often betraying the other. You didn’t mind if he told the others. It was just… you didn’t wanna count on anybody for your survival. He was just so thorough in assuring you of his assistance that it stung. You kept pushing everybody away when really, they just wanted help you. That they were genuinely concerned for you. You turned your back. You felt a little better, the truth being free, it lifted some of the weight that weighed you down.   
You realized he was being dead serious. Not once in that conversation did he use a pun, the introduction excluded. You couldn’t smile, not at the moment at least. What were you gonna do when you were finished? You could build a house, but where? Not to mention buying the land, and the cost of supplies. You checked your currency. You had somewhere around eight hundred gold. You didn’t know how much a plot cost and more importantly, how would you pay for other things? You plunged your paw into your sweater, taking out your map and unfurling it. Taking some extra pieces of paper, you melted the pieces together. The map was as long as you were tall, about four feet with some slack. The extra pieces had now tacked on another foot. You written down the details in your surroundings and rolled it back up. Sticking it bag in your sweater pocket, you hooked your thumbs in the pockets of your shorts. The darkness of Waterfall was starting to clear up, daytime on the rise. You turned on your heel, setting forward. 

What were you gonna do?


	11. Dust In The Elevator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After your meeting with Sans comes to an end, you get into a strange situation with two strange guards. There's been some type of murder in the vicinity and how are there two bodies in the mix?

Dusty Runes And An Old Key

You’d left the meeting place behind, continuing along the path. You looked out towards the horizon, a giant machine resting in the middle of the magma lake. Coincidentally, the whole reason you were here was to map everything so you’d have to find out more about what that machine was. The magma boiled and bubbled down below, a few sparks popping out to heat up the air. The light was blinding, you having to squint your eyes to see in front of you. How anyone could live here was befuddling. You did see tiny cobblestone houses on the ledges over the magma. The locals had to have some degree of heat resistance. Great. It was either your fate being burned to death or being killed by the locals. The machine in the distance gave a loud hiss, steam rising out of the vents.   
You weren’t exactly sure what it did to help the Underground so it was best not to question it. That left you with a pawful of what you could and could not map. There was no way to get across the lake, not without suffering a fiery gruesome death. You sighed. The path seeming to go on forever. Up ahead, you spotted a sentry station, which mysteriously had a huge pile of snow on it’s roof. How was it not melting? How were you not melting. The chaffing of your shorts did not in any way help, as it irritated your wounds even more. You could feel beads of sweat roll between your fur, dripping slowly off your body. As soon as it hit the ground, it evaporated immediately, leaving a salty tang in the air. You were panting heavily. You wanted to map this place and get out as soon as possible.   
The cavern seemed to be even bigger than Waterfall. Huge bridges lay in the distance, each separated by a whole floor of space. The elevators that they connected to seemed to go sideways. Huh. That was new. As you looked more carefully, you saw pillars of rock, some quiet while others were exploding with steam shooting out from the tops. Yikes.   
You continued forward, coming to a distinct fourway. Each exit was separated by tiny streams from the magma lake. The one to your left led to an elevator. You walked up to the elevator, determined to get as far away from the magma lake as possible. The elevator didn’t open, a small message blinking on an interface in front of the door.

“eRROr! Elevators are currently out of order! Please relocate to Sector 23! Repeat: eRROr! Elevators are currently out of order! Please relocate to Sector 23!” 

The loud robotic voice of the intercom had made you jump. You didn’t expect that. Perhaps it was just an error in the mechanics or something. You turned to leave, but you felt something. Something sinister. You looked closely at the doors of the elevator, and spotted something leaking out of the bottom. It looked to be of a dusty material, loose and still spilling forth. No. It wasn’t dusty material. That was dust. Something happened here. 

“No! Please I-” A sobbing cry sounded from far behind you, the voice thick with grief and mourning. You turned and ran, locating the voice.

“Silence! Accept your sins, you wretched whelp!” There were two voices, both distinctly deep and synched at the same time. They sounded hollow as if they’d gone through the same song and dance over and over again. 

“I didn’t-” The first voice was cut off, the sound of something sharp slicing through the air. You ran faster towards the commotion, your head in a panic. Then you stopped. It was too late. There was an ear-piercing caterwaul and then silence. The sound of filtering dust ripped through the silence, the other sound, of iron clanking against rock. You couldn’t hide anywhere but the obvious. You stepped to the side, swinging your legs over the cliff and sliding down, your claws firmly fixed in the wall. You were hidden from view entirely, the feeling of burning flesh more obvious than before. You had to hang in there.   
Two figures walked by, both clad in iron armor with large double-sided blades in their hands. They looked unbelievably tough, and one had a bit of dust on the edge of his blade. One had pulled off their helmets, a cat monster peering out onto the magma. The monster had coarse black fur with icy blue eyes. He gave a devious smile, his long teeth yellow from miscare. 

“More and more monsters are sinning these days, huh Red?” The cat monster had eyed the person next to him, taking out a large cloth and wiping the dust off his blade. The other monster, apparently Red, had taken off his helmet. He had similar black fur to his friend, but his eyes were a dark ruby red. He looked extremely nervous, standing next to his comrade. 

“Y-yeah. There s-sure is, huh Blue.” You knew he was faltering, his feet never stopped moving. Blue had wiped his blade clean, tossing the overly dusty rag into the magma lake. The cloth sailed over your head, and collided with the surface of the lake. It sizzled and crackled with heat before sinking underneath into the depths.

“We gotta show the monsters that they gotta keep a level head, ya’ know? What, with all the’ problems we’re facing these days, the going gets a little more harder.” You doubted that. Not once did Blue frown at the prospect of the sinning monsters. Hell, you even saw him grin a little wider as he cleaned the dust off his blade. Blue stuck the blade into its sheath, as did Red. You were sure that the monster you saw from before wasn’t doing anything off bad calibre.   
It was then that you noticed Red’s state. Big tears had went unnoticed by his partner. They rolled down his cheeks in waves, falling into the lake below. His eyes had huge bags underneath them, said eyes filled with fear and angst. He was sweating harder. He kept eyeing Blue, as if his partner would strike him or push him into the lake at any given moment. You felt remorse for the poor cat monster, probably forced by his partner to commit the murder.

“A-aye.”

“Well, we best be off. The royal guards will get suspicious if we stick around for too long. Go hide the bodies. I’ll destroy the tape in the lab.” Blue set off, leaving poor Red all alone. The cat fell onto his knees, the armor clinking loudly against the rocks. His sobs now ripped through the air, filled with sorrow and grief. You wanted to console the monster, but if you tried, you’d suffer the same fate as the two victims. You waited for Red to dry his tears. He placed the helmet back on, making his way after Blue. The clanking off his armor faded into static. You unhooked yourself from the wall, climbing back up it’s rocky surface and rolling onto the level ground. What was that all about? You decided not to pry. Getting to your paws, you continued the way you came, heading right this time, only to come to an empty dock. The waves were rough and slapped against the bank. It seemed much cooler in here, the river wrapping around the cavern walls and back towards wherever it went to. You didn’t want to leave, the cold seeping into your sweater. Whatever was out there was bad, and you knew you shouldn’t get involved. Still.   
You headed out of the river room, going to the north. Faint piles of dust littered the ground, all seeming to lead to a large building. The structure was seemingly out of place, some of the edges built off the cliff. You didn’t know where Sector 23 was, and you weren’t sure if you should go back the way you came or persist. You decided to go with the latter, walking up to the strange building. It seemed to be some sort of gateway and a lab, a lone camera fixed onto you. The camera immediately shut off and the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps sounded inside. You had to lie again, for the greater good. You gulped, wiping off your sweat and adjusting yourself to a sturdy and fixated position. If he questioned you, you’d ask about the elevators.  
The lab doors slid open, revealing the guard from earlier, his armor more shinier than before. His blade was drawn, held firmly in his left hand.

“What is your business here?” Ah. This was Blue. 

“This IS a passageway, right?” You felt his beady blue eyes fix themselves onto yours.

“It isn’t. This is a lab.” Way to state the obvious.

“Do you know where Sector 23 is? I tried to take the elevators but it just said to go to Sector 23 but i’m not from around here and I need to go home.” That was a bold-faced lie right there, but maybe it could work.

“Oh? You’re from the capital, lass? What’re ya’ doin so far from home then?”

“I was visiting close friends in Snowdin and had to go home. The elevators don't work.”

“I see.” Blue motioned you inside, the inside well lit with paper littering the place. It was very cool inside, the temperature similar to the cold atmosphere of the river room. An elevator inside the lab had clicked into place, Red stepping out looking somewhat disheveled. 

“Oi! Red!”

“Y-yes Blue?” You weren’t sure why Red was even here. He seemed to stammer constantly, clearly not having the tone of a guard, but you were in no position to judge. 

“Take the lass to Sector 23!”

“Y-yes Blue.” Red had hastily come to stand beside you, his armor now fully back on. You could still feel the anxiety rolling off the guy. Red had motioned you to follow, him leading the way out the other door. You glanced sideways to look at the elevator. It had a small panel next to it with various buttons. The strange thing was that the panel had depicted a lizard monster in the place of both genders. That lizard monster looked a lot like Alphys. The lab doors slid open, the hot air hitting you like a brick. You grumbled to yourself, already disliking this place by every waking moment. 

“W-what's wrong?” Red had decided to pipe up, his helmet turning to look down at you. The guy held two heads of height on you. But he was just nervous. You didn’t know if he killed the victims. You know Blue certainly did. You decided to make small talk.

“I wish I didn’t have to go through Hotland just to go to the other regions. It’s way too hot here.” That was true, and the abundance of sweat covering your small frame was evidence enough.

“I-i know the feeling.”

“How can you walk in that suit of armor? You must be roasting alive in there.” The armor that covered Red’s body was heavy and thick, shiny with polishing oil. Someone was busy during those few minutes between.

“W-well, we have to take water with us so that we d-don’t overheat. W-we can’t t-take our armor off o-or else we’ll be p-punished.”

“Well, that blows.” You heard the faintest of laughs from the monster beside you, who silenced them as soon as you looked his way.

“I-it’s not that bad here, actually.” 

“I don’t think I could ever live here. The atmosphere is stifling, but hey, at least you’re never cold!” 

“I’d rather be cold, then hot. If I could take this armor off I would but…” Red had stopped stuttering completely, his steps less hesitant. 

“Let me guess. Job issues?”

“Yeah. Ever since the malfunction with the barrier, monsters have made some very bad decisions. Some just do petty crimes, like stealing or and breaking and entering. Others, not so much. We can’t take off any of our gear in the open, mostly because of monster protesters against the charges of some monster crimes. If we exposed ourselves, we’d be put in danger of the troublesome monsters.” You could see where he was going with this, and you understood the problem at hand. What he said next had surprised you.

“Some have even gone as far as taking the lives of other monsters. The attack is useless as the SOUL would just fade away, and monster souls can’t absorb monster souls. Some can’t take the struggles and just kill themselves. The toll is high, and most monster’s hope is very low. We’re trying to do the best we can. About the problem with the elevators… I feel like I can trust you with this. Earlier, we had a rogue Pyrope who’d brutally murdered a Vulkin. The guy tried to play it off as innocent, but the dust on his shoes proved to be a different story entirely.”  
Ah. You had it wrong the whole time. The victim was the murderer and the guards were just doing their job. The dust must’ve been the real victim of the script all along. So Blue wasn’t a cold-blooded murderer. He was just doing his job. But the question is, why was he smiling at the dust. And why were there two bodies? Monsters turn to dust when they die, so a monster corpse was impossible. Unless there was another positive negative SOUL out there, but you doubted it. 

“Ah. So that’s what the dust was. Anyway, where IS Sector 23? Is it a bunker or something?”

“Something like that. For civilian protection, we moved all monsters in the area to level three of Hotland. It’s a small courtyard, but it’s fits most of the monsters.” You thought of your friend, Alphys. Was she included in the group? You slowly noticed that the bridges above you had elevated some, and rocky islands were coming into view. 

“Speaking of which, I thought Riverman was back in Snowdin?”

“Riverman? I don’t know you he is. I walked here from Snowdin.”

“You what?!” Even though you couldn’t see his face, you could tell he was surprised. Why was everyone always surprised on how far you came from, on foot at that.

“Yeah. I just walked. I mean, I took a boat in the middle of Waterfall, but I never took a river route. I normally just walk everywhere. Getting a real workout.”

“Heh. I bet.”

“What? You doubt my leg muscles?” You were becoming way too buddy-buddy with this guy, but it was getting you somewhere.

“The only person I know that had luxurious gams is Mettaton. Those legs are a fine piece of art.” Red brang his paws to his helmet and made a ‘mwah’ sound, bringing them away to give the ‘ok’ sign. You laughed a little. Who was Mettaton, and more importantly, just how fabulous were these legs? You remembered your map, unfurling it out to the Hotland part. The only part filled was the long hallway where you’d bumped into Sans. 

“What’s that?” Red had pointed to the map, scanning it over.

“It’s a map!”

“What for?”

“Well, I don’t get out much, so when I go somewhere new, I document it on my map!” You gave Red the map, him gingerly taking it out of your paws, as if he might tear it. You didn’t tell the usual lie this time. He looked over it as you walked, another door coming into view.

“Well, color me impressed! You’re really good at drawing, kid!” You shuffled shyly at his comment, not being good at taking compliments as most people. 

“Thank you!” Red handed the map back to you. Just before you reached the edge, a random monster came hurtling at Red. The monster was cloaked in armor, the same kind as Red. This was had his sword drawn and aiming straight for him. You tried to push Red out of the way, but he was already one step ahead of you, drawing his own sword and clashing with the cloaked monster. 

“Go! I’ll hold this one off! You get across the vents!” You weren’t sure what was going on but you obeyed, rolling up your map, and running away from the skirmish. There were the vents from earlier. What you thought was hot steam was just random drafts of cold air. It wouldn’t hurt you. Without stopping, you threw yourself off the cliff, landing on the top of the vent. With a powerful blast, it sent you into through the air and onto the next vent. And then the other. You heard a shout behind you followed by clashing iron and the sound of an explosion. You tried to turn your head around, but the ground appeared more quicker than you thought.  
You face-planted into rocks, some digging into your flesh. It hurt a lot. You got to your paws, the shouts from earlier yelling at you to keep going, egging you on. You were quick on your paws, sad to leave Red behind like that, but eager to get out of danger. An archway of the cavern had appeared and you went through. The next room opened up in the same way, the same magma lake, but someone decided that apparently wasn’t enough and threw in some lasers to spice things up a bit.   
Apparently, the lasers were deactivated, some gathering dust while others were broken down, the metal frame melting from the intense heat. You walked past the lasers, slowing to catch your breath. You hadn’t ran like that since you escaped your former prison. That brought you a whole new set of memories, each fresh in your mind, just like the gashes and cuts after when your captors would beat you for no reason. You ran your paws through your hair, snagging them on a few tangles. It was really fluffy and was naturally unkempt. You patted your head one more time before turning the corner. There was an air vent, the direction of the vent changing every minute or so. Three exit ways to be seen: one was straight ahead, one to the left, and one to the right. The path to the north was blocked by an overlarge door, which was locked and had to lightbulbs fixated to the sides. You took the left path, only to be greeted with more deactivated lasers. The silence had settled in again, the only noise filling the gap would be that of the hissing magma. There was another room off the room you were in, a puzzle of sorts blaring on the interface. There was a paper note sitting on the dashboard, held down with duct tape. You read the paper.

‘SHOOT THE OPPOSING SHIP TO SOLVE THE PUZZLE!’ 

It seemed easy enough. There was an orange button, the label ‘start’ written taped onto it. You pressed the button, a console jutting out from behind a panel. It was a joystick, fingerprints all over it but in well condition. You wrapped your paws around the joystick, the blocks in the puzzle moving to the left as you moved. It took a couple moves but you managed to shoot the opposing ship. The ship exploded into bits, and the intercom lit up with the words ‘Congratulations! You solved the puzzle!’. You heard the sound of something unlock. A light bulb in the corner of the dashboard had lit up, a bright neon green light illuminating the room.  
You disengaged the puzzle, the joystick going back to it’s place behind the dashboard. The path to the right had the same layout, this one more difficult than it’s friend. It took multiple times to get the solution before the other ship had fell like it’s comrade. Once the other door had unlocked itself and the light came on, you left, going back down the path and up the north one. The door had lit up, green lights blinking and spazzing wildly to some beat you couldn’t hear. The door began to rattle, shaking violently before opening, revealing an empty hallway with more vents. When was this gonna end?  
You took the vents down the hallway, stopping when you noticed a room severely out of place. It looked to be a kitchen, some tiles broken with wires strewn about. You walked past, eyes fixed ahead. You didn’t stop to notice the piles of dust swept behind the counters. It smelled of lemons and chemicals, a tang of acid heavy. You kept walking, stopping to stare at a mountain of counters, each stacked higher and higher still. You couldn’t even see the top. Who would do this?  
You’d exited the kitchen-like room, the scenes of Hotland coming back into view. The machine from the first room was a LOT closer now. You could see huge iron tubes sucking up the lava, the steam clouds bigger than you’d originally thought. Scratch that. The foundation of the cliff you were walking on had started to crumble, you paw getting stuck in the rubble. It carried you off the cliff and tried to suck you into the magma. You hooked into the walls, claws snagging on a jutting piece of rock. You hung from the rock, desperately trying not to lose your hold from the falling rocks. It stopped. You reached your feet onto the walls, your claws catching onto something. You looked down. There was a small inlet in the rocks, a tablet of sorts sitting inside. You moved your position to the side, hanging onto the wall and sliding to meet the inlet.  
You’d took the tablet with you, the weight, light as a feather. A small key was attached to the tablet, held together with a band of thick chains. You took the small tablet in your jaws, your paws full with trying to keep you on the walls. You climbed up, rolling onto the cliff away from the rockslide. Putting down the tablet, you dusted off your clothes. Picking up the tablet, you inspected the writings. There was various scribbles written on it’s surface in some script you couldn’t decipher. The key attached to it looked old and beat up, it now swinging wildly from it’s chain. There was no way you could put this in your pocket, as it would crush your weight and obviously weigh down your sweater. You settled for carrying it, the tablet resting in your paws. Another elevator came into view, this one not closed. It opened at your arrival, a panel of buttons on the inside. As you got in, a button randomly clicked into place, the intercom stating it’s destination.

‘NOW GOING TO HOTLAND, LEVEL 2’

The elevator gave a jerk and began to move upwards. There was no elevator music, just the sounds of the elevator humming as it went. The elevator stopped at said floor, the doors sliding open. A loud burst of noise accompanied you as you stepped out. You looked to the right. Various monsters were gathered in a wide plaza, the only significant detail being another sentry station. This one, like the many others had snow on it. You recognized Sans at his station along with Undyne, who was saying something to the group of monsters. They looked fearful. So this was Sector 23. You could swear that you felt something in the shadows.   
You shrugged it off and continued. There was enough room to part through the fearful monsters but you had to rest. All that climbing and falling had tuckered you out. You found a lone corner on the right and sat, your legs dangling over the side off the cliff. You pulled out your map, documenting on everything you saw on the way here, including that little inlet where you found the tablet and the key. The two items, both sitting next to you, were something that you felt had to remain a secret.  
You got up again, slipping through the crowd and away from the watchful eyes of the crowd. You’d gotten pretty far from the group. It wasn’t that you had beef with Sans or anything but that last meeting had left something heavy sitting in your gut. You pushed the thought away and continued, the next section coming into view.

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The two had seen you in the crowd, somewhere. It didn’t take a genius to notice the bright sweater you had going on over there. Sans kept an eye socket on you. Undyne could only watch from the corner of her eye.   
You’d taken notice of the two, ignoring them completely and sitting on a lone cliff away from the group. The two watched as you took out a long piece of parchment, the slack dangling off the cliff. Various notes and drawings were scribbled neatly, some falling perfectly together while others were missing pieces. You added something new to the paper, rolling it up and stuffing it back into your pocket. Undyne was the first to point it out, the strange rock near your lap. Neither knew what it was, as the key fused to it’s side gave no clues. They watched as you stood up, turning on your heels and faded into the crowd.  
However, they never saw you leave as a Vulkin had come up to the two.

“This is important! I can’t find my sister! You gotta help me find my sister!” Undyne and Sans had heard of the murder earlier, refusing to tell the Vulkin what had really happened. That would be bad as with so many civilians here, if Vulkin blew her top, many would get hurt.  
They both knew of the new guards that were posted around the Underground. They took care of the troublesome incidents and shushed the public. But the other guards weren’t too fond of their vicious ways and often ambushed them. They were only doing their job. There’d been way too much dust scattered, and with every day, more was added to the pile. Just how many lives would be lost before they could go free.  
The two weren’t so happy at your behavior. You didn’t even stop and say hi, even though you DID notice them. Sans had a suspicion that it was his fault, Undyne contradicting him. He’d told the others of your confessions, the others needing time to warm up to the truth. They’d been more than worried about the little monster child, but could do nothing about their independent attitude. Sans felt that it was his fault for adding tension to the problem. There was no doubt the kid heard about what was going on, the knowing look in their eyes as they faded into the crowd.   
Undyne just wanted to stop, sure she was the head of the Royal Guard. She had to stay strong for her people and promote them to hope about having a good future. One could only guess that, with the murders and incidents that the kid had changed their mind about the monster world.

“I can’t believe that little punk didn’t say hi to us or nothing!”

“i can.”

“I mean, we were only just trying to help!”

“they just want to be independent, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“It’s just- UGH!” Undyne put her gloved hands on her forehead. The kid just didn’t want to be babied, but there was nothing wrong with that. 

“What do you think that strange rock was?”

“i wouldn’t have a clue. they didn’t have it when they bumped into me.” What really bothered them was the look in your eyes. You payed the mass no attention, only glancing with a knowing look. Like you knew something they didn’t. The two had only heard that a lone monster had murdered a Vulkin in cold blood. Undyne didn’t get to go to the area as she was requested to make sure the monster masses were kept under control. Nobody was allowed in or out of Hotland until the case had been solved. Sans had been selling hot dogs at his stand, just before a large group of monsters were ushered into the clearing. There’d been mass hysteria and one monster couldn’t control themselves and lept off the cliff and into the magma. It was a dark day indeed...


	12. The End Of Your Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You complete the third floor of Hotland, passing a strange set of rooms on your way there. After finishing your journey, you're left with a question and a decision is made. Perhaps a mystery will be solved.... probably not...

Silence And The Sound Of Falling Rocks

It wasn’t long before you came upon another puzzle. Now normally you would’ve solved it but this one was too complex. Various pillars jutted up from the ground, air vents on every surface. Each seemed to face a different way, changing within seconds. A large conveyer belt rolled your way, the losers coming all the way back to the beginning. All you heard was the steady thrum of the conveyor belt and the hiss of the air vents. Fuck this shit. You swung yourself over the cliff, the tablet in your mouth, back facing the cliff. You pushed off with your legs, grabbing onto the next, and the next, until you made your way to the far side. You hauled yourself over the edge, gently unhinging your teeth from the tablet. They didn’t leave any marks as far as you could tell. You were a dirty cheater, not solving the puzzle, but you weren’t really up for the challenge and you still had yet to finish Hotland.   
As you walked on, you considered mapping the capital. No. You didn’t even know what you were doing now, and if you did, you were just putting off the inevitable. You checked your map, unfurling it as you went. Look at all the progress you made! Despite the small challenges, you made it here. Hopefully, you wouldn’t lose any more lives. You rolled up your map, stuffing it back in your sweater pocket. You then checked your currency. Along the way, you had friendly spars with some of the more stable monsters, earning you more gold. Your amount: a whopping two thousand gold and then some! How were your pockets still light? And how much gold could one pocket hold? You kept your gold in the pockets of your shorts. Putting them back, you continued on.   
The next room happened to be a roundabout, the path going in a complete U. Well, a sideways U. You went around the track, the silence in the background, just at bay. The next room strangely consisted of multiple islands of rocks, wires connecting the majority. It looked as if there had been some random battle here, scorch marks visible on the ground and a ripped material of sorts scattered in the corner. At last, you’d found another elevator, this one also working. Like the other, the doors slid open, inviting you in. You stepped into the elevator, the tracker automatically moving you up a floor.

‘NOW ON HOTLAND, LEVEL 3’

The elevator doors had opened up, you, steppin out into the… heat? It was strangely cooler. You looked down over the edge. The magma lake was far below you, the light coming from it dim. That elevator must’ve carried you pretty far. You could see everything from up here! The meeting place, the strange kitchen, the courtyard, the lab… You pulled out your map, going over everything, adding in a few details. Putting it away, you got to your paws, the tablet still in your hands, but strangely heavier.   
The next clearing was darker than the rocks below, with a table in the middle, deserted and dusty. Cobwebs hung around the place, on every surface and even floating in the air. Gross. You didn’t like spiders. When you saw one in the basement, you’d watch closely, the only problem being when they disappeared. Who could blame a guy for being afraid of venomous things? Well, you didn’t know if they were venomous or not, you just sorta guessed from the time one of the spiders bit a rat and shit happened. The rat that it bit spazzed out in a seizure and just died, it’s eyes glossed over. Ever since then, you knew not to fuck with the spiders in your basement.  
You came around a bend to another archway, it was pitch black inside. Cloaking your paws in flames, you walked forward, into the pit. If you saw any spiders, you would burn the fuckers into the ground. There was cobweb everywhere, catching on your paws, getting in between your toes. You were thoroughly disgusted. If spiders didn’t make webs, the world would be a much better place. Then again, without spiders, the world would be consumed by millions of insects. Nevermind. Thank you, spiders.  
The end came up in sight, you calling off your flames for now, only to wish you hadn’t. This was yet again another strange room, a cardboard cutout castle in the corner with dusty spotlights and a weird hole in the ground. You side stepped away from the hole, carrying on forward. The clearing ahead was normal again, thank god. A blue bunny monster stood to the side, with a strange cart with an umbrella propped in the middle. It didn’t seem to notice you until you got to the middle of the clearing. Nor did the guards who were standing off to the side. You recognized one of them from earlier, the one with the fins sticking out of their helmet. You didn’t comment as the two looked like they were enjoying their… ice cream? The rabbit from earlier had decided to beckon you over.

“Hey there! Boy, you look like you’ve been through the wringer. How about some nice cream to brighten up your day! It’s only 15 g!” The rabbit, who insisted on being called Nice, had taken your money and gave you a nice cream. It was coffee flavored. Heck yes. You bid goodbye to the friendly nice cream seller, setting off down the path. Wait. There were two exits: one to your left which led up the stairs, and one to the north which led to another elevator. This elevator only went back to previous floors. You took the left path, walking up the stairs and stopping on one of the steps. Not in the middle, no. You hated when people did that. You sat on the side of the steps, finishing off your nice cream. You looked at the wrapper as you crumpled it up. It had a message inside. You unscrambled the wrapper, reading the message. It did make you smile.

‘Are those claws natural?’

Yes. Yes they are. You folded the nice cream wrapper, putting it in your sweater pocket, only to take out your map. You spared a glance behind you. A large hotel stood proudly behind you, the lights bright and blaring to make up for the lack of the magma. This was the end of Hotland apparently. You documented the rest of your journey, filling out the various rooms you came across. You put your map back in your pocket, the tablet catching your attention. What were you gonna do now? Your journey was over, as you were too lazy to map the capital. Should you head back to your igloo and make your final decision. No. You could do that here. Well, you figured that you should head back to Snowdin. You remembered what you told Sans back at the meeting point. That when you were done, you’d build a house somewhere. You liked the idea of somewhere to rest, you haven’t rested since your igloo after all. Now let’s see…  
Waterfall was too wet and scary, you didn’t like the ocean nor the barbarian tems which shall terrorize you forever. Hotland was a no go. It was hot as balls out here and you didn’t want to live in a fiery hell hole. You didn’t know what the capital looked like, nor did you care. That left Snowdin. It was nice and cold, you were more than capable of fighting off the cold. It wasn’t as pitch as it was in Waterfall, and not once did you run into any bad people there. You recounted the money in your pockets. It could be enough but you’d have to check. You’d decided. Getting onto your paws, you walked back down the steps. Taking the path to your left, you headed to the elevator. The panels didn’t decide for you this time letting you choose. You pressed the button for the first floor, the doors closing shut, and the elevator moving downwards. You hadn’t expected for the elevator to let you do that, you just wanted to get back to Snowdin faster. Apparently, the scene had been cleaned up as a couple monsters were waiting for the elevator when yours had arrived. You stepped off, the other monsters switching with you as they all filtered on.   
You were about to continue when you felt a familiar presence in the area. Great. You went down the path, all but smashing into something hard and large. Before you could react, strong arms wrapped around your torso, bringing you in for a breathless hug. The figure smelled of spaghetti. It was Papyrus.

“OH MY GOD! WE HAVE FOUND THE MONSTER CHILD!” We? Papyrus had pulled back, still holding you all the while. The others were not far behind, triumphant smiles on each face. Papyrus let you go, the others crowding around. Everybody was here. Frisk had barreled into you, using your stomach as a pillow, while tightly grabbing onto your sweater. You were confused. What were they doing here? Toriel was slightly crying, for what you didn’t know, Alphys was riding piggyback on Undyne’s back, and Sans was standing beside his brother. He and Undyne were giving you side eye. 

“Yo.” It had been awhile since you saw them, and you felt slightly happy at their presence. Papyrus was apparently the conversation leader as he started again.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE IN HOTLAND, FRIEND?” Ah.

“Well, I just finished mapping out the place.”

“AND?”

“And what?”

“HAVE YOU MADE YOUR DECISION ON WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO DO KNOW?”

“Yup.” They all eagerly awaited your response. You knew that if you told, them, they’d never leave you alone.

“I’m going to build a house.” Silence.  
“Where?” The speaker was Toriel, happy about your decision but curious as to where you’d build it.

“Well, Waterfall’s too wet, not to mention the whole tem incident, Hotland’s too hot so i’d sweat to death out here, and I’m not going to the capital as I don’t really feel like it, right now. So I decided that I’d check around Snowdin.” That silence had suddenly turned into loud cheering as Papyrus had decided to go in for another hug.

“THAT’S WONDERFUL, FRIEND! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL HELP YOU LOOK FOR THE PERFECT SPOT!” 

“I believe that to buy a whole plot of land in Snowdin, it would amount to one thousand gold. Do you have enough, child?” Yes. You had double that amount. You could afford it. A whole plot to yourself, the land would be yours and yours alone. 

“Heh. I have double that amount. I can afford it.” You let a coy smile play on your lips. 

“I see.”

“What are you guys doing in Hotland?”

“WELL, WE WERE LOOKING FOR YOU! WE CAME TO BRING YOU BACK!” You spared a questioning glance at Undyne and Sans, who’d just shrugged and pointed at the bottom stairs to the river room.

“We all came on Riverman’s boat. He’s waiting for us as of now. Didn’t think we’d find you so fast, punk! Now come on! We have land to survey!” And off she went, Alphys clutching onto her shoulders. Frisk was still clutched onto your sweater, not letting go. You reached down with your paw and rubbed Frisk’s head, messing up their head purposely. It was only when they looked up at you, that you realized that they’d been crying. 

“It’s alright Frisk.” They signed something at you, Sans translating.

“the kid wants to know if you plan on disappearing like that again.” You thought hard. You couldn’t promise them as you still had to fill in the blanks on your map.

“I won’t disappear. Not yet, at least. I’ll only disappear if I have a reason.”

“What do you mean, not yet?”

“Well, I haven’t completely filled in my map. There’s still some minor details missing. I’ll have to go see about those.” Frisk signed something again.

“the kid wants to know if they can accompany you on these adventures.”

“Sure. If that’s what makes you happy.” Frisk stopped crying. These hugged you one last time before setting off after Undyne, Toriel in tow. The skeleton brothers stayed behind you the entire time, as you made your way towards the river room. You gave an audible sigh of relief at the temperature in the room. Sans gave a low chuckle. There was a huge boat now bobbing on the river's surface. It was wide enough to fit the entire group, including you and the strange cloaked figure at the head of the boat. The guy was talking to himself. You didn’t judge, heaving yourself into the boat and sitting on one of the vacant benches. The skeleton brothers sat on either side of you, close but roomy enough to move your elbows.

“Are you all ready to go?” The Riverman had a low and raspy voice, like a whisper. 

“Heck yea! To Snowdin!” As Undyne said the destination, the boat began to move on it’s own, water flying around the sides of the boat. The wind whipped through your hair, and the tablet and key, perched in your lap. It was going to be a long ride.

“EXCUSE ME, MONSTER CHILD. WHAT IS THAT STRANGE OBJECT YOU HAVE IN YOUR LAP?” The others had turned to look at the tablet, the strange object glistening from stray water droplets. You shrugged.

“It’s some sort of tablet. It has this weird language that I can’t read. I don’t know what the key is for. I found it in Hotland, in a small inlet hidden by the cliff.”

“S-sounds mysterious.”

“A strange language? Let me see it.” You handed the tablet to Toriel, her ruby red eyes skimming over the strange lettering. She frowned.

“I can’t read it either.” Everybody tried to read it, Sans taking the longest. He seemed puzzled, confused about something before he handed it back to you.

“nope. sorry kit. i can’t read this either.” You sighed. You were hoping at least one of them could decipher the strange lettering. You lay the tablet firmly in your lap.

“I guess I’ll have to ask around. Somebody has to know how to read this, right?” And the boat continued on its way.


	13. The New Girl In Snowdin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally decide on moving to Snowdin, buying a plot from the librarian and you, by yourself, build a house. Well, this is it...

The Smell Of Wood And A Warm Blanket

It had taken an hour or two for the boat to reach Snowdin. Riverman had pulled the boat to a gentle stop, the water ceasing to fly. The ripples in the river were large and lapped at the river bank as you hopped out, the others in tow. You’d made the decision to buy a plot in Snowdin, the town being the only part of the Underground that you could stand. You almost felt like crying as the familiar cold breeze ruffled your hair and the snowflakes danced in the wind. There were plenty of places in Snowdin that inhabited. You just had to find the one that was sensible to choose. 

“ACTUALLY, MONSTER CHILD, IF YOU DON’T MIND, I MEAN, I DID STUMBLE UPON A SPOT THAT WOULD BE NICE.” Huh. 

“Okay then. Lead the way.”

“NYEHEHEH! ROGER THAT!” And your group was out in the snow. You looked behind you. The Riverman seemed to have disappeared, the rippling water was now silents and unmoving. You turned your head back around. Weird. You remembered when you’d first got here, how you were so cautious of everything. Now, the place felt just like… just like… You didn’t finish that thought. It was too populated to be crying over spilt milk at the moment. Frisk had skipped ahead, catching up to Papyrus, and motioned to ride on his shoulders. Papyrus stopped to pick up Frisk, placing them on his shoulders. Frisk had then taken to nestling into his scarf, shielded from the icy winds.   
It seemed as though the group was always full of energy. But despite all the commotion and excitement over your decision, to you it was quiet. The darkness wouldn’t be still, as it was always over your shoulder. Along the way, Papyrus had mentioned that it was going to be awhile before you got there. You took the time to yourself, and as everyone talked about something you didn’t quite hear, you zoned out. 

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It had been a long time. To you, at least. It was a couple months after the incident, locked away in the basement for your captors torturing pleasures. You never truly stopped mourning. You didn’t know what day of the week it was or what month you were in. You did know that the maximum days in a month were thirty one. So you counted the days, using your claws to dig scratch lines in the bookcases that were strewn around. It was somewhere around winter time, the cold drafts blowing in from underneath the door. They never gave you a blanket. You sat in the dark corner, tiny arms splayed out to your sides. You cried when your captors weren’t around, learning how to silence your sobs.   
You’d realized earlier that day that you’d missed your birthday. Your parents would always celebrate it, never giving you any gifts. They knew that no amount of gifts could bring true happiness. Instead, the spent the day constantly around you, reminding you of how much you meant to them and how much they needed your presence. That your life meant something and that you were going to be great someday. That you were the sun of their solar system, and that they wanted nothing more than to orbit around you. Your parents had always been there for you, and now they were gone. You wanted to lash out, to escape, but in the end, it was always pointless.  
And now that you were all alone, you were imprisoned, trapped her without a reason, and preyed upon by the humans. And you’d hated it. They celebrated their own upstairs, making sure it was extra loud just to tease you. Oh, the things you wanted to do to them. How they would make extra noise to keep you up. How they’d feed you the most rotten and gut-wrenching foods and expected you to keep it down, how they tricked you into freedom, how they punished you for the stupidest reasons. You’d grown used to it, when they would threaten you with death. You didn’t care. You’d take death over this torture any day. How they would talk to you, as if you were their slave. You weren’t. You refused to do anything for them, refusing even the most simplest of tasks such as getting up or sitting down. You refused to do any sexual favors for them, lashing out when they tried to force you. You refused to talk to them, becoming mute whenever they decided to rear their ugly heads. You hated them. Them only. Humanity was bad enough, but these people had to be the worst. You were sure that there WERE some kind people here and there.  
The kindest people have the most terrible deaths. There was one maid you once knew, her name being Trish. She had curly pink hair and bright blue eyes. She was pleasingly plump and was not afraid to show it. She only came in once, but you were good at hearing. She was always optimistic, pushing away the pessimistic and realistic thoughts of others. She’d taken the job because she thought the whole maid fling was cute. She was a good maid, double cleaning everything and sometimes and going as far as trying to clean the basement. The others always stopped her before she discovered the truth. She was too innocent and naive. The others knew this and tried to keep her away from you. You knew too, so you kept quiet. You kept counting the days.  
Trish had a great voice, having trouble with the low notes but hitting the high ones with ease. But Trish was nosy and you’d heard her picking at it before the others. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her. While the others were upstairs, masters included, she picked the basement door open with a spare bobby pins. The hair accessories were useful. The door silently swung open. You flattened yourself against the wall, just barely out of sight. Too late. She turned the lights on, not missing a beat as she saw your tiny frame in the corner, peering at her with hostile amber eyes. She screamed.   
The masters were down the stairs in an instant, throwing open the door with so much force that it blew off it’s hinges. Trish had tried to force her way out, the master holding her back with his strong arms. The mistress had fixed the door, and gave you the coldest glare in the history of glares. That was the day that the masters put six locks on the basement door. You’d listened intently that night, your ear pressed against the stone walls.  
They punished her, worse than they punished you. You learned that they were too rough with her and in the end, you could only listen as they jostled her down the stairs, beaten and bloodied. Trish stumbled and fell down the stairs, a deafening crack as she snapped her neck on the base of the stairs. The was a great ruckus after that. The masters busy in phone calls, asking someone to hide the body. Thankfully, you didn’t have to deal with the smell of rotting flesh. The body was removed from the household and the masters had made sure that if you ever told a soul, that you’d be given worse treatment. The girl’s family was told that she just fell down the stairs, the injuries from a swarm of bees in the backyard. That was that, and the name ‘Trish’ became taboo in the household. She was the only ray of sunshine that didn’t intentionally scald you.  
You missed her, even if she screamed at the sight of you. It was back to counting the days, the silence pounding in your head and the dark enveloping you in it’s cold hands. You gave in during these times, subjected to the dark thoughts of your life. Letting the days go by, you missed another birthday, and another. You gradually stopped counting, your determination slipping away by the day.  
The two had apparently decided to get busy as the entire night, you had to cover your ears with two textbooks to block out their moans and groans. You knew they were doing that shit on purpose. God, how those sounds plagued your mind. They were weird and disturbing, making your life even worse. You found out that apparently they were having a child, and of course refused to tell you anything about it. The nine months that followed were even worse. You felt bad for the child, having to be raised by such terrible parents. You listened to their random arguments, the retching of the mistress’s morning sickness, the books that were thrown across the room, and more phone calls from excited relatives,   
You endured the harsher beatings from the master. He wasn’t ready to have a kid but he wouldn’t say that to his wife. Instead, he took his frustration out on you. You remembered the wounds that took days to heal. How the master would never relent, reopening the wounds everyday. You knew that when the time came, he was just going to pick on you more before leaving his family behind in the dust. You’d read about things like that happening.  
The child came and with that, a new kind of torture. You still got picked on, sharing that abuse with the new infant. The master seemed to always bully the child when the mistress was gone, yelling at them, and throwing them around like a ragdoll. You wanted to defend the child, but you couldn’t. They didn’t deserve that, and if you could, you would take away their pain. To take the beatings for them. But it didn’t go like that. You were forced to listen to the screams of the child, the sobs of sadness and despair. You didn’t think you had any motherly instincts at the age of eight but you did.   
Their son at the age of five, was unresponsive, traumatized by the actions of his abusive father. His mother had also joined in the beatings, her once joyful emotions had been replaced with hatred and fear. She always claimed that her son was a failure and if he couldn’t even respond normally, then he didn’t deserve to live. The master was angry at the mistress, for raising such an awful and hideous child. Their son wasn’t mute, but chose not to speak sometimes.  
There was a certain period of time when the two couldn’t handle their son, so they hired a babysitter. They never did their job and yelled at the poor kid. You were thirteen at the time, still trapped in the basement with the darkness as a friend.   
It was one day, when the parents had left and the babysitter had fallen into a Thanksgiving food coma, that you heard a small and quiet knock on the door. You were hesitant at first but knocked back. The kid knocked again, and so did you. They disappeared for a bit only to come back. They put something under the door, along with something else, too. You used your rusty magic to set a spare textbook on fire. It was a piece of paper along with a pen. The kid had written something down on the paper. The conversation on the paper went as follows:

“Who are you?” You thought for a minute, thinking of a reply.

“A kid.”

“Why are you in the basement?”

“Because your parents don’t like me very much.”

“Why not?”

“I couldn’t tell you. I don’t know either.”

“Can you come out?”

“I cannot.”

“How long have you been in the basement?”

“A long time.”

“How old are you?”

“Older than you.”

“Seven?”

“Higher. Try again.”

“Ten?”

“Even higher. Keep trying.”

“Thirteen?”

“Correct.”

“You must be very old then.”

“I’m not that old.”  
“Is it dark in there?”

“Not right now, but most of the time.”

“Won’t you come out to greet me?”

“I wish I could, but the door’s locked.”

“Are you a ghost?”

“No. Just a friend.”

“I have to go now they’re coming home.”

“Okay. But make sure not to tell that about me.”

“Why not?”

“They don’t like it when I make myself known.”

“Can I talk to you tomorrow?”

“Whenever you want.”

“Bye!”

“See ya.” The kid was genuinely curious, and you hoped that they wouldn’t tell. They didn’t and the conversations continued for months. You talked about the sky, animals, problems, heck, sometimes you even helped them with their homework! They were always grateful, you two sharing a bond, even though you’d never seen each other. Sometimes, they slip you notes at night. When their parents were asleep, they’d have nightmares, and would come to you for help. Those were some of the only times when you used your voice, to sing him lullabies your parents once did for you, when you had nightmares. He’d once written you a letter. It stated that you were his best friend and that one day, he’d find a way to see you in person. You’d smiled at the thought. Would her run away from you? Or would he bag on you like his parents did?  
He spoke to you through the door sometimes with his voice, and you always replied back, no matter what time it was. He remembered your birthday and you remembered his. He didn’t think you were a demon or ghoul trapped in the basement. He knew that you were just a kid who was in a sticky situation. And the beatings didn’t hurt as much anymore. And the day that you escaped, you wanted to go and see him, but he’d already left.  
You wondered if he was okay. He had relatives that would take care of him. He had people who cared about him, people who valued his life. Perhaps, one of his many relatives would show him the love that he deserved…

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You were abruptly brought back into reality by a skeletal hand nudging your shoulder. It was the two skeleton brothers.

“you alright there, kit. you’re spacing out on me.”

“Guess that makes me a star.” The comeback had been unintentional but it had brought a smile to Sans’s face and a disbelieving frown to Papyrus.

“I SHALL FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT, MONSTER CHILD. ANYWAY, WE’RE HERE!” Papyrus had skipped into the vast clearing, the others already there. They were giving you worried glances, mostly from you zoning out. Where was this lot? It wa beautiful.  
The lot was big and by big, it was big enough to hold two of the skelebro’s house snugly. There was more than enough snow here, with lots of pine trees fencing off the sides. Icicles hung to the trees along with hardened sap which shone amber in the artificial sunlight. Tiny frozen streams split the ground on the far side. You liked the place.

“SO MONSTER CHILD! WHAT DO YOU THINK?” You motioned Papyrus closer, and whispered into his ear.

“I love it.” And Papyrus gave the loudest cheer in the history of cheers. The others had gotten wind and Sans looked really smug about something, you just couldn’t tell. 

“WELL THEN! WE MUST GO TO TELL BERTHA! SHE’LL WANT TO HEAR THIS!” And with that the group was off. You figured Bertha was the owner of this plot and was who you’d have to pay in order to put anything down. Toriel seemed to notice and took to informing you.

“Bertha is the owner of that plot. The poor girl’s been dying to sell it, and you buying it will make her day.” Wait. What?

“Why would she want to sell it?”

“Almost nobody comes to visit Snowdin, so the lot’s been sitting there for a very long time.” Oh. The trip wasn’t long. You discovering that your lot wasn’t very far from the skeleton brother’s house. It was just a small pathway through the woods. The reason why it took so long was because who had to go down a cliff just to reach it. You, along with the others, had went searching for Bertha, finding her in the librarby. Yea. There was a sign that hung above the doorway and that’s exactly what it said.  
A small bell rang when your group had stepped in. You never noticed the library. It smelled of old books and the smell of hot chocolate. 

“O-oh! Um! Welcome to the library! Yes, we know about the sign.”

“Hello Bertha!”

“Oh? Hello Toriel. Oh! Hello Frisk, Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, Sans, and…?” You realized that you hadn’t introduced yourself. You were about to when Toriel did it anyway.

“This is our young friend, Lion.”

“Oh? What a peculiar name!” You shrugged, finding your name to suit you. You didn’t mind what others thought of your name.

“Our friend here wishes to take that lot off of your hands.”

“W-wha? Come again?” Toriel motioned you to the counter. You took all of your gold and placed it on the counter.

“I wish to partake in buying the lot by the cliff.” Bertha looked so confused. You’d imagine that you too would be befuddled by a child trying to be a whole plot worth of land.

“O-oh! Sorry! Heh. The plot land is worth eight hundred gold.” She counted off eight hundred from the pile, shifting the extra back to you. You took the rest and put it back into your pocket. Bertha looked extremely happy, and you did, in fact, just make someone’s day.

“I’ll need you to come over here for a sec.” You padded over to the other side of the counter, Bertha shifting some papers underneath. She finally pulled out two documents and a pen.

“This one is an agreement to keep in touch about the land and what you plan to do with it. The other is an agreement on owning the land. You really don’t have to read them though. Nobody does. The government just puts it there to frustrate people.” You took the pen and wrote a signature on both documents, pushing them back to her. 

“The land is all yours now! You can do whatever you want with it, as long as you don’t disrupt the neighbors! Well, that all there is to it! Good luck!” You and the group bid Bertha goodbye.

“So you say you’re gonna build a house huh?” Undyne had lumbered up to you. She looked extremely skeptical about the situation. Well, I’m not here to fuck spiders. You nodded.

“And just how are you going to build said house?”

“With sweat, tears, and a lot of elbow grease.” You had a LOT of work to do.

“Let us help!”

“No thank you! I can do it myself!”

“There’s no way a tiny kid such as yourself can build a house!”

“Undyne don’t-”

“Watch me.” And with that, you sassily sashayed down the path to your lot, and victorious grin as you bid the group farewell.

“Undyne!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You got to work cutting down some trees. It took a lot of hard work but it was worth it. After you’d cut them into place you began to hammer the pieces together with the kit of tools you bought at the Snowdin shop. You began to fit board after board onto the framework, making sure each board was in place. You’d taken the time to find a monster who makes glass, and had payed for six window’s worth. You were so into building that you added a second floor to the work. With your climbing abilities, it didn’t take much work to construct the roof. The outside of the house had taken until nightfall to finish. The others had come to check on your progress, Undyne eating her words when she saw you successfully install the windows, by yourself. You didn’t receive any teachings so you just went with how you thought it would go. They hauled you away at night time, taking you to rest at the skeleton brothers house, which you were hesitant about.  
As soon as dawn broke, you were out, back at it again. The inside was next, putting up the walls and sealing any holes and cracks. The others had been out the whole day, doing… something. They wouldn’t tell you. You fitted the doors on their hinges. You’d only needed help with installing electricity and plumbing, in which two monsters from Hotland helped you with. You DID pay them for their help. After that was done, you had another monster from Waterfall come and help you with the locks on your doors and windows. If Toriel had to lock up her own house AND the ruins, even when nobody lived there anymore, than you knew it was smart to install locks.   
It took a week and a half. You stood back and admired your work: a full two-story house, with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, a chill room, a closet in the walls, and a fireplace. Top that, Undyne! You had splinters all over your paws, the pain not bothering you as much as it should’ve. You were finally done. Everything hurt so much. And then you heard Papyrus yell something in the distance. So they were coming to check on you now?  
They entire group was there, along with some monsters you didn’t recognize. Each was carrying something large. When they had scaled the cliff, they stopped to admire your, perfectly crafted, hint hint, house they stood tall, fresh and brand new. It was then that you saw what they were carrying. Furniture. You could’ve bought that yourself. So that’s what they’ve been doing all this time. 

“Nice house punk!”

“Woah.”

“AMAZING!” Toriel, Frisk, and Sans had refused to comment, setting the furniture down on the lot. 

“Anyhow, while you were doing your thing here with the house, we went out and got you some stuff!”

“You know, you guys didn’t have to.”

“Yes we did! We all thought it was a good idea! Now shut up and tell us where to put all this junk!” They’d bought you a ton of stuff, items including a couch, a bed, a dresser, some carpets, a beanbag, blankets, pillows, and towels. You felt bad for them getting you all this stuff and you not paying a cent for it. They all reassured you that this was intentional and that a was a sort of housewarming gift. Who gives furniture for housewarming gifts?   
You directed where each item should be put, and at the end of the day, YOU payed for some special ingredients. Papyrus on insisted on making celebratory spaghetti and what better way to celebrate a new house, then to burn down the kitchen. That’s exactly what happened. You weren’t mad as nothing actually burned. Except the poor spaghetti. The pot just happened to explode and spaghetti got everywhere. Thank god, Undyne didn’t help or you wouldn’t of laughed it off like you did. They all eventually filtered out, and the silence set in again.   
You turned off the lights and just decided to sleep on your couch. It was felt exactly like how the skeleton brother’s couch did, spare the loose change. You pulled the blankets around you, being intentionally warm for the first time. The oven light had been purposefully left on as you didn’t want to sleep in the dark. Sleep? Yeah, sleep came easy. You’d have to go clothes shopping the next day, the brothers mentioning a clothes shop in every town. At least you could finally shower and change. You had been grooming yourself every once in awhile, using the scent of cinnamon to cover your tracks. You also had to buy necessities, soap and all that junk. You also had to buy food. You hoped with 1,266 gold, you could afford all that. Probably not. For the first time in days you fell asleep, dreaming of one thousand hot dogs stacked upon each other, the limit endless.


	14. Sled Race On The Slopes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After months of living in Snowdin, you've come back to a dream that haunts you every once in a while. However, this time, it has changed. You decode the tablet and set off of an adventure.

An Old Man’s Treasure Trove

The snow flew past past, whipping through your hair in a frenzy. You were in first place, the ground flying out from beneath. You could hear the scrape of ice, hardened and sharp. The slack of your brand new navy blue hoodie was whipping in the wind, the cold drafts reaching in like wandering hands. You were grinning, the world a blur as you passed it by. The group had challenged you to a sledding race, you agreeing before they could even ask. And with the way you’d smoked the others way back on the slopes, victory was assured to be yours. You gripped the rope tighter, your sled quickly approaching a hill. It flew off the slope, a mass of snow following. You could hear the hurrying cries of your friends behind you as they rapidly tried to catch up, their sleds no match for your speed. You flattened yourself behind the dash, landing in the snow and heading down the hills, gaining even more momentum and speed then when you’d started. A corner was next in sight. You gripped the ropes even harder, moving your body to the left. The sled moved with you, skimming over the fallen snow. Passing monsters watched as you flew by, others stopping to join the race.   
You were in the lead, Sans not too far behind, while Toriel was putting up a fight. Undyne and Papyrus were neck-a-neck for fourth, while Alphys and Frisk were tied for fifth. You could hear another sled, not far behind. That was most definitely Sans. He was actually participating, his competition harder to match. Here came the big hill. You prepared yourself for the drop, looking to the side in anticipation. The view of Snowdin from the cavern peaks was breathtaking, all the while fun to look at while racing. Here it comes. You sled flew through the air, higher and faster than the last, the feeling of weightlessness spreading through your body. You let go of the rope, throwing your hands in the air, satisfaction at maximum. Sans had ignored the hill, his sled almost passing yours. You landed right across from him, throwing him a triumphant smile as you launched your sled forward. He did the same, and you two were now competing for first. The finish line was rapidly approaching. You two looked each other right in the eye, stares burning into each other. It was a ballsy move but right before you reached the finish line, you threw yourself out of your sled from the hood, sending you flying across the finish line. Sans’s cry of losing the race, all the more satisfying.   
You sat up, the snow thick and clumped in your mane of which you call your hair. Your scarf had blown off somewhere in the hills. You’d go back for it later. It’d been a few months since you moved to Snowdin, each day more sillier than the last. You felt a wet snowball pelt you in the back of the head.

“you dirty cheater!”

“Hey! I did NOT cheat!”

“you threw yourself off the hood of your sled just to beat me!”

“Nowhere in the rules of sledding, does it say that I cannot do that!”

“yeah, but you could’ve got hurt.”

“But I didn’t so there!” You crossed your arms in victory. You’d actually gotten a calendar, the present month in the middle of July, yet here in Snowdin, it was still cold, like always. You heard Toriel’s whoop at getting third followed by a caterwaul by Undyne. Papyrus screeched like a banshee as he crossed, his sled going at a faster speed than yours. Surprisingly, Alphys finished in sixth while Frisk finished in last. The two were covered head to toe, with snow and a few bits of ice.  
It was midday, the lights were the brightest they could be. You laid back down in the snow, flopping about and pushed your sled somewhere else along the slope. 

“So who got first?”

“Me! It was totally me!”

“well i would’ve gotten first if she wouldn’t have thrown herself out of her sled.”

“You what now?” You let Sans recount the tale of your victory, smirking at him the entire way through. 

“well, me and the kid were neck-a-neck, halfway down the hill, and right as we were about the cross the finish line, the kid just up and throws herself off the hood of her sled, and goes flying’ across the field.”

“Darn tootin’!” Undyne gave you a thumbs up.

“WELL, YOU BOTH TRIED YOUR HARDEST! LION! PLEASE DO NOT THROW YOURSELF OFF THE ROOF OF YOUR SLED! THAT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND YOU COULD’VE BEEN INJURED, DEAR FRIEND!”

“Alright, alright. I give.” You raised your hands in defense, smiling coyly at your victory prize. 

“However! Since I have won this round of sledding, I get the prize of choosing what game we play tonight.” Ever since you built your house in Snowdin, you and the group have random get-togethers, a contest to see who picks the food, and another to see who picks the games. Frisk had won the privilege of picking the food, which was thankfully not spaghetti. You’d never seen Papyrus’s eyes glow so intensely. It’s like whenever the word ‘spaghetti’ is mentioned, the guy comes flying through the nearest window just to talk about his biggest favorite. The food of the night: tacos! 

“TO LION’S HOUSE!”Whenever you guys had these pow wows, you and the skeleton brothers took turns hosting them. You prepared the house thoroughly the day before: soap, pine sol, scrub pads, disinfectant, mops, brooms, air freshener, etc. Whenever they had a party at your house, the place got thrashed. But they did help clean. You got a job working for the Snowdin shop, the shopkeepers showing you how to do most of the jobs. You mostly counted stock and delivered to faraway patrons, some as far as the capital. Yes, you saw the capital, and it was way too big and busy for a gal such as yourself. You prefered the peace and quiet of Snowdin. Sometimes the residents would come to your house to ask for stuff such as sugar and other items. The shopkeepers would often let you take him the items that weren’t sold, so you had a shit ton of cinnabunnies, a couple handkerchiefs, ice cream, and other junk stored around your house. You also had plenty of knick-knacks, each documenting a special event with your friends: Frisk’s birthday (they were nine now), Love Day, like Valentine’s but with less public affection, and others. It felt much more like a home to you.

“Hey punk!” Undyne had called you over, intentionally away from the others.

“Yes Undyne?”

“Can you make tonight’s game truth or dare?”

“Sure.”

“Sweet! I’ll call Mettaton and send him the details!” You’d met Mettaton when you were hanging with Sans one time. Papyrus was going on a date, (in which you waggled your eyebrows at him intensely), and who else to show up at the door, than a fabulous robot with the most gorgeous legs. Seriously, those legs were finer than the most clearest diamonds. Dam son. Though Sans didn’t seem to like the robot, you didn’t mind. As long as he didn’t hurt Papyrus, you wouldn’t melt their motherboard. But you did ship them. So did Alphys. 

“Oh! And Undyne?”

“Yeah?”

“I wanted to mention it this time to clear up the earlier confusion.” Last time you guys got together, Undyne and Alphys disappeared somewhere in the house during the middle of the party. You discovered what it was that you were doing and decided to bring it up this time.

“If I pick truth or dare tonight, please refrain from having sex in my closet. I have a guest room. That’s what the soundproof walls and the guest room are for.” Undyne turned lime green under the scales, looking away from you a blushing panic. You could easily hear their… sounds, from the hallway, and just in case if you didn’t bring it up, you actually posted a note on the door that read, word for word’ as following.

‘Please do not have sex in this closet. I had to scrape weird shit off the wall and i’d prefer if I didn’t have to, each get-together. There is a guest room in this house for a reason. Thank you, ~Lion.

“O-okay.”

“Thank you. If you do get frisky, just leave a note on the door. We’re all educated here, no need to get all flustered.” You shot Undyne a coy smile, her returning the glare but less challenging than normal. Undyne had moved back into the group, leaving you to trail behind. As you got to your porch, you bid the others a short goodbye, stepping inside your house to change. The warmth hit you like a brick, the room dim and quiet. You opened the curtains, letting the light in. They should be getting their stuff together, so you pulled out the air mattresses. No matter how old you were, the loud wail of the air motor would always scare you. You flicked the two motors on, the loud wail ripping through the silence. Heading upstairs and into your room, you swapped your snow gear out for a loose grey t-shirt and a pair of loose basketball shorts. You may look like a bum but you were living in comfort.  
You went into the guest room, setting down some paper and a pen on the nightstands. Fixing the sheets of the bed, you threw on extra pillows and blankets. Heavens know, they’ll need it. You went into the closet, the scent of vanilla wafting out. It’d taken hours to get that peculiar scent out, the smell permeating your towels and other blankets. It was a bad day for you. You grabbed the spare blankets and plopped them down on the hardwood floor, along with more pillows. You spread a sheet over each, a thick comforter trapped underneath. Giving each mattress two or three blankets and pillows a piece, you grabbed the blankets and pillows from your bed, plopping them down on the couch. The couch was where you slept when they came over, sometimes sharing it with Sans or Frisk.   
The massive stack of Mettaton movies in the corner were labeled on which ones you have and have not watched yet. You turned the TV on, the only channel in the underground, Mettaton’s channel, blaring to life with all of their flamboyant glory. You then went into the kitchen, preparing the snacks for the movies. The main dish was tacos, in which you hoped Frisk could cook. The snacks consisted of popato chips, cinnabunnies, popcorn, and you snuck in some chocolate. Toriel would never know of your secret stash behind the unused tea boxes. You kept hordes of food hidden in your kitchen, the majority, junk food, in which Toriel disapproved of.   
You set the snacks down on the coffee table, turning the extra lights off in the house. You closed the curtains thoroughly and waited for the others to show, tuning into whatever Mettaton was talking about on the TV. You heard three hard knocks at the door. Slowly getting off the couch, you head to the door, peering through the peephole first before opening the door. Old habits die hard. Papyrus had sprung through the door, pajamas in one hand and an extra plate of spaghetti in the other. Toriel was next, carrying a set of pajamas and a couple books, just in case. Undyne was next, pajamas and a box of tea, which she handed you the tea, before coming in. Also, she mentioned that Mettaton wouldn’t be coming as he was busy with something at the time. You didn’t know why she always gave you tea when she came over. She always said if was for… something, and then she disappeared inside. Alphys had her pajamas and a pile of anime at the ready. Frisk came in soon after, with their own pajamas and a plate of covered tacos. They smelled… strange. Sans was last, carrying nothing but a joke book. After everyone had came in, you shut and locked the door, turning back to the party in your living room.   
There’d been a drastic amount of crimes in the past few months, rarely any children falling down. The ones that did fall were adults and they always had murderous intentions. They were of no use. They’d given the fallen adults a memory alternating drug and you were given the duty of escorting them out. The reason their souls were of no use was because of the large amount of the misdemeanors in their SOULS. Misdemeanor, which was discovered shortly after the first adult had fell, was an inky black substance that ate away at the soul from the inside. It came from crimes and mistakes the adult humans mostly had. Every adult that fell had some form of misdemeanor, the soul becoming worthless. It didn’t occur in kids, as small mistakes as robbing the cookie jar of cookies was just a kid normal thing, as where robbing banks and shooting people were not normal adult things.  
As you got back to the living room, you took note of where everyone was arranged: Toriel and Frisk had situated themselves on one air mattress, Alphys and Undyne taking the other, Papyrus had taken the entire triple couch, which left the normal couch on which Sans sat, hogging the blankets like usual. You huffed at the small skeletons, Sans mouthing the words ‘revenge’ directly at you. You smirked and ran back upstairs to your room. The blanket downstairs was a decoy, as you’d known he’d steal that one. You came back downstairs, clad in your favorite thing in the history of things: it was a giant plush lion, no not you but the animal from the surface. You’d made the thing, a zipper on the stomach hiding the best part. You unzipped the zipper, an overly large blanket spilling out. The length of this blanket could put a pool cover to shame.  
You sat down on the couch, wrapping the blanket around yourself to create an impenetrable fortress of comfitude. Sans was jealous. He was always staring whenever you whipped this bad thing out of it’s shell. You flashed a grin at Sans, sinking into the endless heat of the blanket. 

“SO LION! WHAT IS THE DESTINED GAME FOR TONIGHT?”

“Welp. I decided-” The knowing look from Undyne.

“-that tonight's game shall be…. truth or dare!” Papyrus had loved this game, being the most competitive next to Undyne. They even made up rules for a particular version. Each person had three punch cards, which were also known as ‘freebie cards’. You could use each card, only once, to weasel your way out of a dare. Trying to forfeit truths were for pansies. Once the punch cards were all gone, you were declared ‘fresh meat’ and had to suffer a random dare put together by two participants of the victims choosing. They cannot get out of this dare, and if they choose to do so, shall be out of the game immediately. Refusing to do a truth will get you disqualified. There is no double dares or truths, meaning the same call cannot be made twice in the same game, by anyone. If the ‘fresh meat’ does their dare, they get to subject their callers to two dares apiece. If the callers refuse to do said dares, they’re out. The last one standing, as declared by the adults, wins the entire candy stash you have hidden somewhere in the house. The thing could hold a couple gallons of candy. Sans won the bowl last time, and you won the one before. You made sure not to let Frisk nor Papyrus anywhere the candy, giving them harder dares. No, the punch cards cannot be re-used. Once they were down, they were down, and that was that.  
You picked up a taco from the platter on the coffee table. It looked normal enough. You bit into it. Not bad, Frisk. Not bad at all. You all finished your tacos, pushing the snacks aside to make way for the punch cards. Sans and Toriel sat on both sides of you, Frisk sandwiched between Papyrus and Undyne. Alphys never played the game, keeping score of who was out and who had thrown down how many punch cards.To decide the direction of the players, you all flipped a die. Toriel went first: she got a six. Papyrus got a three, Frisk got a four, Undyne got a one, Sans got a six and you rolled a two. Toriel rolled once again: she got a five while Sans had rolled a four. The order of players went as follows, first to last: Toriel, Sans, Frisk, Papyrus, Undyne, and you, the last of the bunch. But that was okay, you could sit here and listen to what they played and did not play. Learning their fears from the table was a fun game. Toriel was up first.

“Alright Lion, truth or dare?” Wow. Toriel was out to get you tonight.

“Dare.”

“Whoop!” Shut up Undyne, you’ll get your comeuppance. Toriel often did low dares, something easy, but only for the others. When it came to you, she upped her game. Why.

“I dare you, to jump off the western railings.” They all knew how strong your legs were, the things could handle the highest falls. The western railings were pretty tall. They led to a secret cavern off Snowdin, the place that manages Snowdin’s artificial light. So off you went, trudging through the snow. It took a while but you got up there, the snow of Snowdin hardly seeable from this height. You jumped, landing with grace and went back to the house, cold and ready to keep going.

“alright. my turn, now. undyne. truth or dare?”

“ Dare! Watch you call something lame, bone-boy!”

“i dare you to sit in the snow for the rest of the game.” Holy fuck Sans. You knew that Undyne got cold in the snow, but jeez, Sans had no chill today. Sigh. He was rubbing off on you. Undyne was momentarily shocked, but agreed, helping move the table onto the porch. Alphys grabbed the heaters, while Undyne sat in the snow, grumbling. At least she was wearing something warm. You burrowed further into your blankets. 

“Frisk, your up!” The kid signed something to Toriel.

Toriel, truth or dare? You’d taken up ASL throughout the months, learning some of the basics.

“Dare!” Everybody did dares, Sans taking the occasional truth. Frisk signed something, Toriel   
narrowing her eyes at the child.

Do a handstand!

“If you wish, my child.” Toriel scooted further away from the group. Within seconds, she was on her hands doing an absolutely still handstand. 

“Damn son!” You didn’t even know Toriel could do a handstand, let alone how casual she was, not showing a hint of discomfort.

“Alright, Papyrus you’re up!” 

“OKAY! FRISK! TRUTH OR DARE?”

Dare!

“I DARE YOU… TO CLIMB THE HIGHEST TREE IN SNOWDIN!” You all knew what tree it was, as you’d been the one to climb it. It almost touched the tops of the cavern. Way too dangerous for Frisk. Frisk thought long and hard, but in the end, throwing down a punch card in defeat. Toriel had stopped doing a handstand, looking approvingly at the small child.

“Yes! One down, twenty to go! My turn, you dweebs! Lion! Truth or dare? Dammit. Twice in one game? Sigh.

“I don’t know, truth?”

“Name the worst thing you’ve ever done!” You thought hard, coming back to the incident of a couple weeks ago. 

“Well, I almost ripped a guy's arm off for a carton of orange juice. Does that count?” Silence.

“Why?”

“Because.” Shit just got real. You placed your paws on the table and leaned in real close to Undyne, staring her down in the snow. She began to fidget.

“Nobody messes with me and my orange juice, and walks away with teeth.” You were serious about your orange juice, and kept a separate supply in your room. That fridge was always locked.

“Okay! Jeez! Your turn, you little weirdo!” Hmm. Who did you want to see fail utterly? You eyed Sans, waggling your eyebrows. He knew exactly what kind of trick you were gonna pull on him.

“Yo, Sans. Truth or dare?”

“Dare?” This was it. He was sweating. He knew. You’d stocked up for months, preparing this dare. You rose from your seat and went into the house, going past the kitchen and into the secret room behind the living room. Perfect. It was grossly warm. Heh. You walked back out onto the porch with a family-sized bottle of pure mustard, the sauce had fermented for weeks and you were more than ready to serve it up on a platter. Sans had paled. He shook his head, pleading you to dare him anything but. You pointed to the punch cards, mouthing ‘do it’ while flipping open the cap. He looked furious, but glared back up at you.

“I dare you to drink this entire bottle of fermented mustard.” You exaggerated the ‘fermented’ part of your dare, making him gag. 

“Drink up, bone-boy.” You pushed the bottle towards him, him snatching it in his phalanges. He glared at you one last time before, getting down to business. You could feel yourself smile harder as the expression on his face went from angry to nauseous and finally to disgusted. Still, he guzzled down the entire bottle, slamming it down with enough force to shatter it if he was trying.

“Gosh darnit! I was hoping you’d spit it out!” You pouted. The one dare you thought would work on him had failed. 

“not a chance, kit.” The game went in a similar motion, Papyrus and Frisk being played out of the game. But they were fast asleep and so was Alphys. Nobody was keeping track anymore. While the trio was inside resting, you guys were still out on the porch. Undyne was moved into a blanket, to keep her from dying in the snow. Now, it was just you, Toriel, Undyne, and Sans. The dares got harder, one of you having to belly slide across the frozen lake. Eventually, it was just you and Undyne, Sans and Toriel had played out all of their cards.

“Alright punk! Final truth or dare?” You knew what you had to do.

“Dare.” 

“I dare you to fight me!” Okay, so maybe you were expecting something else, like something less physical than a fight. You stood from the table, waiting in nervous anticipation. The last time that you’d sparred with magic had been the last time that you fought with your parents. You haven’t used your magic for anything other than keeping yourself warm and lighting up dark places. Sans was shockingly still awake, despite it being the early morning.  
You and Undyne made your way out into the clearing, the fresh snow crunching underneath your paws. Her amber eyes gleamed with anticipation as she gathered herself into a ready stance. You already knew how strong she was, but you were stronger. However, that didn’t entitle that you had to win. You just had to fight her. The silence had increased and Sans and Toriel were fully at attention.

“Ready, punk?”

“Yup!” With that, the battle begun, Undyne summoning a wreath of spears around the battlefield. You responded, swamping your paws with raw flames, the bluish tint illuminating the darkness of the woods. She sent them flying at you, you dodging them precisely and timing your movements to match hers. The spears tore up the ground, splintering the trees and clattering loudly on the ice. Your turn to move. You responded by sending large fireballs back at her, a greater amount than her wreath of spears. As they flew through the air, they formed a wall of sorts, trapping her in a corner of the clearing. You moved your right hand upwards, another wall of fire forming behind her. She attempted to use her turn, her spears pitifully melting under the intensity of your flames. You stepped closer, the flames getting hotter and brighter.   
Your ears twitched with the wind. Sidestepping a long spear that whizzed past your head, just in time. More spears came out of the ground, you hopping away from the fire wall to dodge them. You heard the crackles of your fire magic, wild and free, swaying with the wind.  
You could hear rooting from the porch. Whose side were they on? You didn’t get to finish that thought as Undyne, seething with rage at being trapped, had summoned more ground troops, each piercing through the snow, but missing you agile frame. The snow had begun to melt into large puddles, your concentrated fire magic turning it into steam.  
It took a while of dodging and countering but Undyne had finally given up, melting in the corner from the heat. You flicked your hand in her direction, the flames scattering and turning into nothing. You could hear her give a sigh of relief.

“I think that’s enough for the night. Let us rest for tomorrow. You do not mind, do you Lion?” You shook your head, Toriel giving a small yawn of approval. Sans gathered the table, stacking the bowls of snacks that had been eaten a long time ago. Undyne gathered the heaters and the linen from outside, stopping to close and lock the door. It was warm inside.  
Papyrus had fell asleep on one of the mattresses along with Frisk, Alphys had taken up residence in the guest room, in which she always does. Undyne sent you 'the look’ before going off to join Alphys in the guest room. The door clicked shut with a lock. Oh my. Toriel had taken the other air mattress, stealing Frisk from Papyrus and kept Frisk trapped under their blanket. Sans had moved down onto the air mattress with Papyrus. You’d settled for the couch, turning off the TV with the remote on the table beside the couch.

“Good night, everyone.”

“night, Tori.”

“Goodnight.” With that, you all sunk into rest, the soft snores from Toriel indicating that she was already asleep. You felt tired but watched the others. Papyrus had latched onto Sans in his sleep, bringing his older brother to rest against him. It was one of the only times, Papyrus didn’t wear his battle body, but he looked more like himself with it on. The loud snores of Sans had confirmed that he too, was asleep. Welp. It was your turn now. You closed your eyes, clearing your head of any troublesome memories. The quiet hum of the heater and the snores and sleep mumbling from the others had carried you you softly to sleep.

 

You weren’t sure how long you’ve been dreaming. It seemed to be dream after dream, you becoming aware of some. Most were dark, with nothing to fill the void. You covered your ears. An ear-piercing cry had split the silence, the sound reverberating off some unseen walls. Your ears were slightly bleeding. You opened your eyes. Instead of the normal darkness that'd occurred in the few previous dreams that you were aware, a figure stood out amongst the shadows. It had a face, it was just… blurry. It’s body consisted of a black goop, and as it came towards you, it left a slimy trail. But it wasn’t all that scary. You could just wake up, right? Right? Wrong. You tried to pry yourself awake, thinking of anything, anyone to get out of this dream. But you stopped when it spoke. Even though you physically couldn’t understand it, your mind seemed to filter it and play it out to you, a deep and raspy voice filling the void.

“There’s no need to be afraid of me child, as I pose no threat. I merely called out with the remains of my SOUL. and you’ve seemed to answer them.” The figure swayed back and forth, it’s body folding in on itself.

“I’ve came to ask for your help, in picking up the broken pieces, child.”

“Broken pieces?”

“All will be made clear when you read the tablet.”

“But I can’t-” The figure silenced you with a raise of his hands, his body getting closer and closer until it began to envelop you. Not fully. It was like a sticky hug of sorts. The figure began to fade into the dreamscape, the faint scent of ozone trailing away from you.

 

You woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air, your claws digging into the upholstery of the couch. You grabbed at your chest, rising and falling rapidly. What a dream. You looked out into the living room. Everybody was still sleeping, but in weirder poses than when they started. Wait. The tablet. You gingerly got up, careful not to wake the others as you climbed the stairs. You could barely hear the soft moans and groans coming from the guest room. Guess they really did get busy after all.  
The early morning rays of light had filtered into the blinds, casting a glow on the carpet upstairs. You opened your door, careful not to let it blow shut from the wind. It was always dim in your room, the only light coming from underneath the door. You padded across the floor towards the closet. On a high shelf above your hung up coats and hoodies, sat a huge stone tablet. There was a old silver key that swung from a strong iron chain.  
You picked up the tablet, staring intently at the wording on it’s surface. You’ve done this multiple times in the past, trying to decipher the strange language in print. Now, the words just came to you. You grabbed a piece of paper, translating what the runes said in sloppy handwriting.

“In three lands, there lays one piece, of a broken SOUL to find. One in liquids cousin, one encased in stone, and one out of reach from the foam. When joined together, harmony will sing.” It sounded like a story but kinda like a treasure hunt map to you. Let’s see. So, three pieces of a SOUL are hidden throughout the underground.  
Okay. One in liquid’s cousin? Wouldn’t that be gas or ice. Didn’t Snowdin have ice?  
One encased in stone could mean Waterfall or Hotland, both having plenty of rocks to boot.  
But, you were pretty sure, one out of reach from the foam was Waterfall. Just how were you gonna find these pieces of this SOUL. Perhaps, you would go on another adventure. You remembered what you told Frisk in Hotland, a while back. That if you went on another journey, you’d bring them. In one selfish part of your head, you didn't want Frisk to go with you. And besides, Toriel would constantly be checking up on you. It was decided. And just in time too. The others were waking up.  
You grabbed a spare backpack from out of the closet. It was decently large and could fit a couple blankets. You placed the tablet on the bed, filling a third of the backpack with spare clothes to change into. Bringing the two items downstairs, you set the backpack on the couch, the others having just woke up and not understanding what you were doing.  
You perused through your kitchen, picking up some bread and some bottles of water. They could last through heat and cold and if you were lucky, could survive the treacherous waters of Waterfall. You stuck a couple loaves and water in your backpack, adding in a couple oranges as to not forget to pack vitamins.  
You were most likely not going to sleep, nor use any blankets on your trip. You didn’t have a cell phone, nor did you need one as you packed some pieces of paper and some pens. You took your map with you, as it would come in handy in the long run. The others wanted to ask just what the heck you were doing, but waited, packing up their stuff and cleaning up their messes. Almost ready to go.  
You went back up to your room, changing out of your T-shirt and shorts and swapping them for an orange hoodie and some dark brown sweatpants. Who needs shoes, anyway? You went to the bathroom, hastily brushing your hair out, the tangles still there but less noticeable. Perfect. It was time to go.

“My child? Where are you going?” The house had been emptied of people, the security alarms turned on and all doors and windows sealed shut. It was colder than it was last night, and your breath billowed out in a steam cloud.

“On an adventure. I finally figured out the tablet, so now I’m gonna go and figure out what it’s all about!” Frisk had suddenly buried themselves in your sweater. 

“How long will you be gone, my child?”

“I have no idea. But you’ll see me around, somewhere!” You weren’t so sure at all. You didn’t know if you’d solve this mystery or not. Before you knew it, the group had encased you in a tight hug, bidding you farewell. You waved them goodbye, promising to return when you find the answer.


	15. A Year After The Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time hasn't it? You've been gone for longer than a year, doing god knows what. Even your friends don't know. They miss you...

A Missing Puzzle Piece

It’d been awhile since the kid had disappeared. They set off on adventure, claiming that they knew what that strange tablet read. As far as we were concerned, the kid was obsessed with that thing. Wherever we went, she brought that thing along, asking the random passerby's if they knew anything about it. All of them would turn their head, and would be befuddled by the rock. If we would’ve know that she’d be gone for so damn long, then we would’ve threw that thing in the lake of Hotland.   
It was the morning of that crazy truth or dare game. As far as we knew, nobody got the bowl of candy that Lion normally gave to the victor. We’d woken up to her frantic scrambling about the house, packing things into that backpack of hers. And of course, that stupid tablet was back in her arms. It annoyed them. How much you were determined to find out the secret of that insignificant piece of rock. You’d told them very little, bidding them a goodbye, promising them that you’d return. But you didn’t. You’d been gone for longer than a year, and they’d only catch word about you from the grapevine. You missed your own birthday, Love Day, Christmas, Ghoul’s Day, New Year's, and everything else. You sent them letters on their birthdays, wishing them a happy one all the while being still vague and mysterious.  
Toriel was prone to fits, her missing you more than the others. Sans was slightly bothered by just how long you were gone, with no way of talking to each other. Papyrus was less optimistic than usual, disappearing for the entire day on ‘training missions’. But really, he was only looking for you. Undyne was still herself, but she’d become a good writer, sending letters to your house everyday, in hopes that you’d reply. Alphys was Undyne’s pillar of support, missing you just the same, but more content to Undyne’s company. Frisk, on the other hand, always went with Papyrus on makeshift search missions, always coming back empty handed. The shop had to hire more temporary help to take care of the jobs that you normally did. The residents in town were always asking about you, writing you letters despite you never answering. Snowdin felt a lot colder without you.   
Your house was covered in standby dust, the snow piling on every available surface. The ice that you purposely unstuck from the roof had formed long and sharp from the edge of the roof. The fireplace that was always billowing smoke had closed with ice, trapping the cold inside. And yet, everyday they peered into your house, hoping to see a sign, any sign, that you had return. And one never came.   
You never get a phone, despite the protests of the group to get one, you never wanted not needed one. You insisted on face-to-face, saying it built better friendships. How old were you now? About fifteen, right? They hoped you were okay.  
There’d been a major genocide in the Ruins, the monsters losing more and more hope every day. Nobody knows who was killing who, as monsters were now prone to killing each other in fits of rage. Toriel had left soon after, locking up the Ruins, and buying her own settlement in Snowdin. It was the only place where the darkness didn’t reach. The citizens mostly grieved for others lost relatives. The population of monsters were slowly dwindling, and it seemed as though you could always see dust in everything. Sans had been a lot more quiet after the mentioning of the mass genocide. He was a little touchy with everyone, especially Frisk, and was always in his room, sleeping or just genuinely being lazy. Frisk had stuck close to Toriel, not wanting to cause any worry for the motherly goat woman. Papyrus, who’d finally been put in the Royal Guard, was always on call with Undyne. Undyne took care of the monsters who murdered, while Papyrus kept the perpetrators in their place. It was hard to live, more monsters dying by the day. It was easier to ignore when you were here. They missed you… so, so much...

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You’d been gone for a while, the sound of creaking wood normal to your ears by now. It wasn’t that you were hiding. It was more like this mystery was taking a lot longer than you originally thought. Your first destination had been Snowdin, the cavern that you mapped out ages ago, had seemed vacant to your eyes. There was nothing to be found, except for few gemstones hidden under the snow. You discarded those, having no use for them. You often had to stop in Snowdin, buying multiple items with all the gold that you’d won fighting multiple monsters. You hadn’t seen your friends in a year, seeing flashes of them every once in awhile, but you never stayed. You thought you saw it all, but became to be fascinated in the small details that most overlooked.   
It had been a month or so into your journey when you came to a small indent in the cavern walls. You never thought anything of it, passing it by on sled rides. You remembered the time you threw yourself off the hood of your sled that one time. Heh. Good times. It wasn’t until you felt a pull of your SOULS that you investigated deeper. You felt your SOULS being pulled down, as if something was calling for it. You dug through the snow and came to what looked to be the ordinary cavern floor. What lay under all that snow was just a bed of cold rocks. It wasn’t until you dug around the sides of the hole, that you found a brass ring attached to a slab of rock. You pulled it, the rock crackling as it rose. It was heavy. What lay underneath the rock slab was a ladder leading into the darkness. Normally, you would’ve noped out of that shit, but this was a different case. You climbed down the ladder, closing the rocky opening above you. It was dark and you constantly had to deploy your fire magic to see. There was the occasional unlit torches hanging from the walls, in which you always lit. There were no monsters which made the tunnels strangely eerie.   
The tunnels wrapped around each other, winding in loops and roundabouts. Good thing you marked your path. You left claw marks on the wall, each spelling out a weird letter or number sequence. You also mapped the paths on the extra pieces of paper you packed, documenting where each letter was and where to go next. Sometimes, the tunnels opened up into caverns, the multiples having fields or lakes. You’d ran out of water a while ago, so you refilled all those water bottles you packed and marked it down on your map. You got stuck. A lot. You came back to same junctions over and over again,   
It didn’t stop you from going though. But it was lonely. You’d been in here for so long, that you didn’t even need your map. You knew where the exit was and how to get to it. How to get home. Were the others alright? You followed your SOULS daily, their pull increasing the further you got. Apparently, there was a door in this maze that opened for a short amount of time. It changed positions often and you missed all of them. Today would be different. You took short little catnaps, deploying your self-defense magic to watch over you while you slept. Your mother WAS a smart warrior, after all. You shaped them to be lions, manes of multicolored fire illuminating the walls around you. They protected you and reassured you that things would be alright. You often got paranoid, casting one or two lions two keep the rear guarded. Your SOULS caught that gravitational pull, you wasting no time in following. You got used to sprinting through the tunnels, making sharp turns and sliding under rock walls. There was no threat of danger, as you had oxygen that circulated through the maze, berries that grew throughout the caverns on small bushes (they weren’t poisonous, one of your lions tested it), and always refilled your water from the springs.  
Coming back to the present, you were still sprinting through. The dusty beige bricks whizzed past you, and to your surprise, royal purple ones were coming into view. You kept on, not noticing just where you were. This was all new to you. You felt then ground give out below your paws, trying to fling yourself onto the walls, but failing. You knew where this was going. You flipped yourself around in the air, right side up, and legs pointing towards the bottom. But you didn’t hit something hard. You FELL into something. It was soft and had a texture like silk. It was dark, so very dark in here. You were about to deploy your fire magic when you saw something glowing in the depths. You were went closer, the soul emanating a dazzling, white light. It was a monster SOUL. Well, it was a piece. You found it. After the longest time in that hellish maze, you found it. As you went to touch the soul fragment, it glowed brighter, conveniently shedding some light on your surroundings.  
You almost lost your lunch. The soft material that you had landed in was white in color, like that of fresh snow. But it wasn’t cold. It was dry and when you moved, it moved with you, pulling you like quicksand. It was dust. And there was a fuck ton of it. It was up to your knees, the amount seeming to go on forever. You gave a yelp of fear, as you felt your leg be touched by… something. You slipped backwards into the dust. It got all over your clothes, in your hair, and in your fur. The soul fragment flew into you, a landing in your lap with a plop. You grabbed it, and ran for your life. You soon discovered that you were, in a deep, deep pit of monster bodies. The cliff walls came into sight, you jumping onto them and hoisting yourself up the wall. The left over dust seemed to cling onto your tail. You hauled yourself over the cliff, getting to your paws. The opening of the pit suddenly closed over with a thick layer of rock, blending in smoothly with the floor. You turned to go back to the lake, to wash off all this dust. You turned to gather your items, stopping when they were nowhere to be seen. You knew you took them with you. You looked down at the floor. Fuck. They fell into the pit. The way you’d came had disappeared, a new archway opening up. It was dark.

You’d been walking for hours, the air getting colder and colder. You felt disgusting and grimy, the dust clinging to your body. Your claws clicked on the stone floors. All your gear was gone. Your map, your paper, your pens, your food, your water, everything. You looked at the soul fragment in your paws. The only thing that had been there when you got back up was the tablet. The soul fragment had embedded itself into the tablet, placing itself in one of the three indentations. It seemed to fit snugly. What had you gotten yourself into. And then you felt it. The feeling of snow under your paws. The cold air of Snowdin wrapped around you, like a hug of welcoming. You missed the cold of Snowdin, disliking the humidity and warmth of the maze. Where were you gonna go next? Waterfall or Hotland?   
You wondered how your friends were doing. You were going to get to your house first, taking the backstreets so nobody would see how much dust you had on you. There was a difference between monster dust and standby dust. Monster dust was brighter in color and was heavier than standby dust, which was harder to see and went floating whenever you moved. You just wanted to get this dust off of you.  
You trudged through the snow, the snow crunching with slight pops here and then. It felt great to be home again. You’d get to reconcile with your friends, plan out your next destination, take a shower, eat some filling foods, and relax for a bit. It was going to take a while to scrub all this dust off of you. You looked up. The lights signified that it was the early morning. You heard a voice up ahead. Nowhere to hide...


	16. Player Number Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You remember your best friend, right? The one who you used to talk to from the basement? Well, he's gone looking for you, and he's closer than you think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will NOT lead you like some dumb sheep so keep that in mind. The points of views will change a lot so be prepared. Also, some chapters will be shorter than others. You'll see why soon enough.

Your Best Friend

Sue was what you would call a freak. He was born blind but his parents didn’t know until after he turned six. He was a mammoth of a kid, his growth spurts hitting extremely early. He had large shoulders, a big frame for a seven year old. With blond hair and crystal blue eyes, most kids would saw he was a pretty boy. They were wrong. Sue was the kid in class that liked to write stories, the only thing that could take him from reality and make him happy. Truly happy. He didn’t mind not being able to see, as it didn’t stop him from being himself. The stories that he made up were vivid and spontaneous, his teachers often awarding him for his great potential. The other kids often made fun of Sue because of his disability.  
For the longest time, Sue had wanted the one thing that his relatives couldn’t buy. They’d kept trying to buy his love and affection, beating him when he didn’t warm up to him. His parents had died in a fatal car crash about a year ago. His aunt and uncle took him in, treating him with the same abuse and neglect as his parents did. He never mourned for his parents, because they never felt like parents to him. The one thing Sue wanted in the whole wide world, was for his best friend to some back.   
When Sue was a little boy, when he was about five or six, there was this other kid living in the basement. She was never allowed to come out nor did she ever show her face to him. But she was really nice. She always talked to him and comforted him when he needed it. Her name was Lion, or so she’d said. She sang him lullabies to chase away the storms, read stories to him at night, helped him with his homework and so on. But he wasn’t dumb. There was something that his parents kept the basement door locked up for. They always warned him not to go into the basement.   
But the walls were extremely thin. He could hear everything his parents did to the girl, beating her, torturing her, threatening her. They did the same things to him but never as violently as they did to her. After each beating, he would go down and comfort her. The strange thing was that she was always okay, never needing to be helped. She had her own back, and was instead, the one comforting her. He never spoke to his parents, but only to her. She was the only one to deserve that privilege.   
And it was one day at school, when the teachers pulled him out and told him that he’d be living with his relatives for a long time. Sue never asked why. He thought that his relatives would treat him with respect. That they’d give him the love that Lion gave. They didn’t. They did much worse than his parents, Sue having to adapt to wearing long jackets and pants in the hot summers. He once ran away, back to his old house, in hopes that Lion would still be there. She wasn’t. The basement door was open. And Sue peered inside. He noted the claw marks on the bookcases, the burnt textbooks, loose papers here and there. Where Lion was all the time…  
She once told Sue that she wasn’t human. And that was the reason as to why she was trapped in the basement. And Sue didn’t judge, keeping her company all the while. As Sue lay in bed, he wondered where you were and wondered if you’d ever come back. He hated this place. Hated his relatives. Hated his existence…  
That night, Sue snuck out of the house. He was done with the abuse and done with the scars. Lion had told him once, of a mountain not far away. Mt. Ebott, he recalled. All the monsters were stuck underneath it and the power of seven human souls could set them free. Perhaps, Lion was with her kin. After all, she was much kinder than any human could ever be. Maybe all monsters were as kind as her. He made it to the base of the mountain, the whistling of the wind in the trees making the trip even more eerie. It hadn’t taken long, until he found it. A larger opening on the side of the mountain. It went back for a while. Sue followed the path, his shoes, now sopping wet, squelched against the floor. He knew there was a huge hole in front of him, stopping to peer into the depths. It appeared not to have a bottom. Suddenly, something pushed against him, sending him spiraling into the depths below.

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It was a quiet day in Snowdin, the snow seeming to dim the lights in the sky. Toriel listened bluntly to the ticking of the grandfather clock in the parlor. She watched as the hand went swinging, back and forth. She glanced at the clock. It was almost dusk. Frisk should be here any moment. She’d baked a cinnamon-butterscotch pie earlier, the remnants cooling on a coaster. It seemed as though Frisk had lost their determination to do anything. They only thing they did do was go with Papyrus and search missions. Toriel remembered the small cat child who went missing over a year ago. She left on a journey only to never be seen again. NO. Toriel, get yourself away from those thoughts. She shook her head to disband those thoughts, assuring herself that Lion was still alive… somewhere.   
Frisk had returned home shortly, slightly brightening at the smell of pie. No sightings today, huh? Toriel was about to have a slice herself when Alphys and Undyne had burst through the door, a small potted plant in tow. Ah. Flowey. The plant was never around as much, a phantom in the underground. He never stayed in one spot for too long, going here and there without so much as a peep.   
Undyne was first to speak, hauling the small lizard on her back with the flower balanced on her head.

“A human! A human has fallen!” Undyne was out of breath, Alphys not exactly, a small remote clutched in her claws. It was blinking wildly, a red to yellow sequence. That meant that the human was a child. Red on red meant an adult had fallen, red on yellow meant a child, and red on green meant a false alarm.   
Sometimes, Flowey monitored the hole, watching to see if anything fell down the hole. There was one time, where he was present to see a kid fall into the catacombs. He was disappointed to find out that the kid was just a monster child from the surface. They’d been unconscious when they’d fallen, which was perfect. Flowey had frisked the kid, finding nothing of importance. Is wasn’t until the kid disappeared that he became slightly worried. The people who monitored the catacombs had installed cameras by the hole before Toriel closed up. He’d gotten worried that they’d be stuck down here forever. So you could only guess the calamity that a human falling into the underground would cause.  
Toriel had been the first out the door, Frisk and the others not far behind. She was the only one who had the keys to the Ruins. It’d taken a while, meeting up with the others at the door of the catacombs. If there truly was a child in the Ruins, then there was hope that the monsters could go free. Of course, that meant that they had to protect the child their entire way to the barrier. Toriel wasted no time in fitting the key into the lock, the giant purple doors swinging open. Standby dust had gathered everywhere, flying into the air at the cold drafts blew in from Snowdin. Undyne closed the doors as the others hurried up the stairs. It had been a long time since she’d been here, the carpets old and holey. The scent of old books and dust hung in the air along with the scent of something burning. The group skipped past the house, hurtling out the door.  
It’d taken a while to get past all the puzzles but they finally got to the hole. Strong sunlight filtered in from the hole above, the buttercups glistening with early morning dew. The monitor was right. Laying in the middle of the buttercups, was a small child, unconscious but physically okay, apart from a few cuts and bruises.  
Toriel went to go pick up the child, studying their features: short blonde hair, pale skin, a baby blue parka, and olive shorts along with some dark gray sneakers. It appeared to be a boy, somewhere around Frisk’s age. Undyne came up to the child next, placing her hand over its chest. The others watched in unbridled happiness as Undyne brought forth a cyan human soul, a strong glow emanating from the center. Patience. They had a pure patience SOUL. It may have just been the greatest thing to happen since Lion left. A big step towards the liberation of monsters. Undyne pulled up their stats.

Sue Donovan  
Hp: 30  
Lv: 1  
Exp: 0  
To the Next Lv: 10

Atk: 13 Def: 57  
Spk: 0 SPF: 0  
EVA: 42 Acc: 76

 

For the rest of the way, Toriel held the child close, Frisk peering over at the boy. There was no misdemeanor in his SOUL, thank god. The only thing to do now was take the kid back to Snowdin. They were now saddled with the task of getting the kid on their side. At least now, the future didn’t look so bleak.

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The child had been asleep for sometime now. They refused to eat or intake anything. When the child awoke, they were strangely okay with that fact that everyone was a monster, more or less what they had to do. They were okay with the fact that if they refused to help the monsters, that they be thrown away. The child was only here for one reason. They were looking for another monster, whose name was known as just a whisper now. The child was looking for a monster named Lion. The group had confessed to knowing the monster child, only to put him down by saying that she went missing over a year ago. They’d met the child a month ago. He was blind but very friendly, the majority of his time he spent talking to the other monsters. He was very patient with earning the monsters trust, most disbelieving him and trying to take his SOUL.   
Sue was a whole deal happier than when he was at his relative's house. Sure it took a while for the monsters to trust him but they were a great deal nicer. They never hurt him, and instead, the residents took to him immediately. Nobody made fun of his blindness as a monster kid who happened to have no arms had became a close friend. There was another human child, by the name of Frisk, who was constantly at his side. They didn’t talk much, instead using a translator that Alphys created, to talk to him. He lived with the kid after all. Toriel had been so kind to him, accepting his flaws and showing him around Snowdin.   
The one thing that concerned him was Lion. She was somewhere in the Underground, his best friend missing of two years, has been down here, doing something away from the other monsters. Sue often joined Papyrus on his search missions, desperate to find the monster child but failing utterly.  
Sue didn’t mind the snow, and besides, it was relaxing to listen to Toriel’s stories. It was nice down here. He was right about the monsters. They showed much more compassion than humans, and he enjoyed being with them. The others weren’t too hard to take to him. Toriel taught him how to cook, Undyne brought him along for her daily outings, Alphys showed him various manga, Sue reading them in Braille, Papyrus brought him out for play-dates, which were always fun, Frisk walked them everywhere and practically asserted themselves as the alpha sibling, and Sans. Well, Sans was here and there these days, but on the days where the two were together, they did science.   
Only, Sue was forbidden to tell the others. They had their own mutual agreement. It would be soon, that Toriel would allow him to go out and venture the other zones. Perhaps, Lion was out there somewhere. He would find her, no matter how long it took.


	17. The Love Of Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ..................................................................................... something's going to happen.............

Once

The voice from ahead had gotten closer, loud footsteps crunching up the snow. You were desperately trying to hide, the dust on your jacket a dead giveaway of something that you did not do. The footsteps were getting even closer, almost behind you now. Snap! Something closed around your tail, dragging you towards it. You tried to hold onto the trees, you claws digging into the bark. You tried to reach the safety of the branches. Useless. Your tail felt as though it was being ripped off. Suddenly, the tree gave away, your small body flying backwards by the pull. It wasn’t who you expected it to be, no, not at all. The person who was pulling you was Undyne.   
You knew why she pulled you out of nowhere. Not because she hadn’t seen you in forever, no. Because you were casually covered in dust from head to toe. You didn’t get a chance to say anything as you felt your SOULS being pulled from your chest. Out in the open, you were vulnerable. You were about to run until, you involuntarily stopped, the air forcibly knocked out of your lungs. Your SOULS had turned a dark pine green, the murky color mixing with your own.

“What did you do?” It wasn’t a question as she never waited for your answer. You could feel here intense anger from all the way across the clearing. Her own soul floated freely, a white, muted with anger and disgust. You could feel the pulse of her own, forcing your SOUL to synchronize with hers. There was no way you were getting out of this now. Your right ear twitched. You nearly dodged the spear, the tip ripping through the shoulders of your jacket. The dust that clung there, did not float but sank almost immediately. A sign of monster dust. Shit.  
More and more spears rained down, nicking you in most places. Within three turns, your jacket had been ripped to shreds, minor cuts here and there. 

 

“You killed all those monsters, didn’t you?!” You had no idea what she was talking about, except for the pit of bodies. The battle began to get more intense, much worse than the time she dared you to fight her. Undyne rushed forward, not even sparing you an extra spear and she forced the point of the spear into your shoulder, you missing in time from her piercing your heart. You let out a cry of pain, blood gushing down your arm. You barely dodged her next attack her rushing you again, all the while two extra spears were coming from the back. The left one had missed their target, grazing your calf, while the other was right on target, embedding itself deep inside your right thigh. The sticky liquid seemed to burst forth, the spear cutting a major artery. You collapsed in the snow, it, a dark crimson, the same color as your blood. Another spear had sprung from the ground, puncturing your left lung and ripping off a couple ribs.   
You could feel the blood rushing up your throat, but you were at such an odd angle that you had began to choke on your own blood. You gasped for air, your HP at such a low level that you could hardly use any magic. You felt the last of your magic drain from you, in an attempt to fight her off. As the darkness crawled closer, you felt the heat of your own magic and an ear-splitting caterwaul, and your eyes glazed over. You felt yourself turn to dust, it mixing with the rest. 

 

It was quiet. The darkness was back, and with it, the void. You felt the same sticky wetness, it being your own blood. The pain was stabbing at you, but there was nothing you could do. Like the previous times, the same dazzling arch faded into existence, it’s light golden and renewing. It surrounded you, the feeling of warmth seeping into your wounds. You felt your skin seal itself, the tears sealing shut and the blood stopped running. You felt your ribs disintegrate, new ones filling the empty void, melting back into place. You felt your lungs seal shut, the breath that you’d lost, filling them with cold fear. You felt your heart stop and start, the process long and winding, as the vessels resealed themselves. Your torn muscles, torn and swollen, now smooth and strong. You felt your cavities empty themselves of leftover blood, floating through yourself and disappearing. You felt small and insignificant. Not even allowed a say in your death, but killed with no mercy. What had you done to deserve this.   
The arch around you had glowed with a new sinister light, the hands at their previous interval. When the hand moved to six, you felt the pain of dying again, your legs keeping you steady as the same fear and pain made its way inside your body. Inside your SOULS.  
The steady chime of the bell no longer hurt as the melody it played soothed you, wrapping around you like that of a loving hug. It banished the pain of life, your SOULS trembling with the aftershock. You felt safe here. You felt free from the pain of life. Free from any sorrows. But you knew that you’d soon return. Fear rose in your SOULS again, the image of your bloody death filling your eyes and the sound of ripping flesh filling your ears. You wanted to stay here, and listen to the sound of the bell as it got softer, and quieter, and to listen to the bell as it vanishes.   
The arch of light had started to fade, the number seven exploding in the sound of ripping flesh. You cringed. But you didn’t wake up. Not yet. You didn’t want to. Would she be waiting for you when you re-spawned? Would she kill you the same way she did? Would she listen to you this time around? You felt the dust of the bodies on your skin again. You felt dirty. Like you’d never be clean again. Voices rang out in your head, the pleas of monsters, calling out for help. Any help whatsoever. There was none. The only thing you saw was a green and yellow sweater and the dust of the monsters falling into the pit.   
And you could do nothing but cry. You didn’t want to go back. You didn’t want to suffer the same fate. You didn’t want to live again. And your SOULS seemed to pulse in rhythm with your sobs, your clutch on them loosening, more and more. Until you let go.

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It had been a long day. The snow just seemed to keep falling, huh? Sue listened from his blankets as the snow built up on the window ledge, banging and pelting the glass pane. There’d been news that there would be a blizzard in the area. It just, came so fast. Sue was used to the icy weather of Snowdin, but he preferred the dampness of Waterfall. Hotland was too hot for him to handle, as Alphys found out much too quickly. The lights in Snowdin were starting to malfunction, the area sometimes swamped in darkness. Not that the CORE was failing or anything. Sans and Alphys had been gone for a full week. The two had been called in to help repair the electrical circuiting of the Underground. He rarely stopped by, only for something to snack on before he hit the road. Sue turned his head to the side. Toriel was bundled in multiple blankets, fast asleep in her chair. Frisk was asleep in their own room, dusk having fallen a long time ago. The fire in the background hissed and crackled with energy, scorching the logs that lay forlorn in the fireplace.  
Sue liked to stay awake past his bedtime. Toriel had assigned him one shortly after he’d gotten used to living with the motherly goat. She often taught him lots of things, and to be honest, she was phenomenal at teaching. She would stop and explain every part, even explaining the smallest detail in length. What Sue enjoyed learning the most was about biology. Even though he couldn’t see it, he could feel lots of things and hear them too. Back on the surface, he was always interested in flora and fauna, keeping a journal on all the species he came across. It was packed to the brim, descriptions and smells and documented for flora and gender differences and moving habits for fauna.   
It wasn’t until the school teachers had caught him filling in some of the pages at school, that he had it taken from him, never receiving it back. Turns out, some other kid had claimed it, crossing out Sue’s name in permanent marker and writing their own name in it. The teachers had told them that they couldn’t find it, and to wait to get it back. He waited, and waited, and waited. He’s still waiting to this day. Sue was wrapped up in his own blankets, warm and toasty, but recollecting his memories on the previous events of today.  
He’d met King Asgore, who Toriel refused to talk to, but once she tried, but failed. There was some romantic tension there, for sure. The king seemed like a nice guy, kind-hearted and easygoing. He just couldn’t believe that the guy had murdered six children. But he’d only but told that as Toriel was walking him to the boat. The king had talked to him about many things, the longest being on the subject of buttercups. The flowers were deceivingly innocent but they were poisonous if ingested in a large amount. If only Sue still had his journal.   
Papyrus had stopped by earlier, retrieving both Frisk and Sue for another search mission. The location this time was in Waterfall, the oceans strangely violent despite the slight drizzle. Sue insisted that they look across the water, but Papyrus had stated that the water just led to a wall, and that there was nothing beyond the water. The’d returned back before dusk, Toriel having just made dinner. Frisk had insisted on playing in the snow before it got too dark, them winning today’s snowball fight. Undyne hadn’t stopped by today, busy with scouting the perimeter of the Underground. The recent murders have been on everybody’s mind, the monsters in the Ruins and now some monsters from Snowdin.   
There were a report about the bodies not decaying, and the victim stuck between being held together and collapsing into itself. Papyrus had considered moving to Hotland with his brother, Undyne insisting that Snowdin would be the next target of death. Who really knew nowadays. Sue could feel the bags under his eyes. He quietly yawned and stood. Heading over to Toriel, he gently shook her awake.

“Mm. Hmm? Oh? It’s only you, Sue. What do you need?”

“It’s time to go to bed, Toriel.”

“Oh? Tell you what. Help me secure the house and i’ll read you a story.”

“OK.” Sue and Toriel set to work, the two locking the doors and windows, and putting out the fire. Toriel had picked out ‘172 Uses For Snails’, a good old fashioned classic. As the two of you passed Frisk’s room you gazed in. They weren’t asleep as you thought, as they were drawing something at their desk.

“Frisk, my child? Would you like to come and read with us?” Frisk nodded and rose from their desk, coming to stand by Sue. Even though Sue was small, Frisk was smaller and only came to their shoulders. Frisk laced their fingers with Sue, their other wrapped around a small doll. It looked like a lion plush. Weird. 

Frisk had fallen asleep in Sue’s bed alongside him, shivering in discontent. Sue gave a small scowl and wrapped the blankets further around the small child. He didn’t need the blanket really. Toriel had finished reading a while ago, now sleeping peacefully in her own room. It was quiet. The snow had been beating down on the windows for hours now, the sound more louder and more viscous. Despite everything, he liked it here. He liked living with Toriel. But he still missed his best friend.


	18. Back In The Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ... So there's more to it than this, huh? Just remember, that darkness is a friend..................

Twice

You re-spawned again, the light of Snowdin gone. Night had fallen. You were still crying. You didn’t want to be here, not anymore. You wanted to leave life, to stop re-spawning, to stop dying over and over and over again. You were cold and lost, laying out in the snow of all places. The cold was stronger, frostbite clamping down on your paws. You could only move just a little, the pain from your earlier death still fresh in your head. The winds of Snowdin were loud and vicious, and for the first time, your fire magic did nothing to prevent the cold from seeping into you. You hid in the shadows, paranoid that Undyne was listening. She knew exactly what you were capable of, and she knew that you could re-spawn. You kept on, the snow crunching under your paws. You winced harshly, deciding to take the trees instead. You crawled your way up the trees, stepping from branch to branch as quietly as possible.  
The dust was gone. But you still felt it, on all your clothes, and on your skin. You felt something. But you hadn’t done anything. You wanted to get back home. To go back to the way it used to be. Everything felt different. It didn’t feel like home anymore. The shadows seemed to follow you, them chasing you all the way to the edge of the woods. There it was. Your old house, standing tall amongst the darkness. You had your keys in your backpack at the time, but they were gone. What were you gonna do now? Simple. Break in. It’s YOUR house after all. You scaled the house easily, your claws digging into the wood panels of the house. You lifted yourself over the edge of the roof, the ground far below you. Crack! The roof which had been submitted to freezing cold temperatures had given way, you tumbling into the lounge room. The standby dust that had been building up, swirled in the air, landing here and there. You got to your feet, dusting yourself off.   
Your home didn’t even feel like home anymore. You unlocked your room, the dust in there, moving at the sudden disturbance. You hadn’t been here in a year and half. You collapsed in your bed, the plush upholstery meeting you at the end. You didn’t close the door nor did you do anything but lay on your bed. You could feel the hot tears falling down your cheeks. You still had the tablet, which was now poking you in the stomach. You pulled it out, the soul fragment encased glowing at your attention.   
The same pull of your SOULS became known, you grumbling quietly in protest. You hadn’t rested in a long while. You could rest a while. And it was the longest that you ever rested. You listened to your own breathing, sighing with emptiness. You watched the halls get lighter and darker, the day flying by. You looked at the tablet for a second time. It seemed to glow with annoyance as you fell asleep.

 

It didn’t take a long time, the void coming into view. This was one of the dreams that kept coming back, the darkness long and endless. And there was the same monster as last time. Only one eye seemed to glow an orangish color. He swept closer, his body less slimy than last time.

“So you found the first piece, then?”

“Yeah.” He seemed to know what was wrong and came to gently cup your cheeks, embracing you in what could only be called a hug. It enveloped you like last time, the feeling similar to the warmth of a fire.

“The next piece should be somewhere around Waterfall, right?” You felt him give a brief nod, pulling away to look at you. You were still crying like you have been. The void seemed to be the only place where you weren’t in danger, always welcoming and calm, taking your troubles away and replacing them with love. Not that kind of love. 

“Follow the pull of your SOULS. I’ll be keeping watch over you but that’s all. I can’t stop the inevitable.” You smiled at the man, feeling the darkness take over for now. The darkness was a friend. You followed them, the smell of vanilla and citrus bringing you to reality. 

 

You got up, the bones in your body cracking back into place. It was very dark outside, the silhouettes of the trees barely visible. You padded over to the closet, taking out some fresh clothes. The had a collection of dust of them. You ran them under water, fluffing them out, releasing the dust on them.   
It’d been awhile since you showered, not that you were dirty or anything. You felt the wounds from your fight earlier sting under the hot water. You missed the heat. It was soothing. The dust that had gathered on you had washed off, floating down the drain. No matter how hard you scrubbed, you still felt dirty. And when you stepped out, your skin was raw, sensitive to the touch. You toweled off and put on your fresh clothes, the smell of cinnamon heavy in the air. You stepped out of the bathroom, looking over to the lounge. The roof still lay in shambles.  
You quietly went down the stairs, leaving the lights off as you did. The darkness was a friend. You stopped at the living room, eyeing a huge hill of letters at your door. You didn’t feel like reading them right now. You went into the kitchen, getting a small porcelain bowl. You poured yourself some cereal which surprisingly didn’t have any bugs in it. The milk had gone so sour that it turned into a brick. You let it be. You opted to just have some crackers instead. They were the only thing in your house that didn’t go bad. You mourned for your wasted orange juice.  
The crackers were bland and left your mouth dry. You were thirsty, so thirsty that you opted for tap water. The taste was metallic. It was quiet. So quiet. Once the crackers were gone and the wrapper was thrown away, you did something that you shouldn’t have: you burned the letters. The majority was junk mail, you not even noticing the letters from Undyne as you threw them into the fire. They burned into melted into ashes, the smoke rising out of the chimney. Water dripped down the sides of the brick structure, a sure sign of ice build up. You felt a tug at your SOUL. Welp. It was time to go.  
You retrieved your tablet from upstairs, the key swinging silently on it’s chain. The soul fragment inside glowed with anticipation. You stuck the tablet in your pocket, setting off down the stairs. You unlocked the door, the cold wind blowing in your face. It was still blowing outside, the wind tamer than earlier. You shut the door, the darkness following you out. The darkness was a friend.  
You made your way up the path, your SOULS pulling you towards the path of Waterfall. Sure, you could scale the cliff, but… you were too tired right now. You kept through the woods. And then you felt it. Eyes boring into the back of your neck. You turned to look but there was nothing there. Your right ear twitched. You stepped to your left as a bone went sailing past you. What would’ve went through your neck if you hadn’t move. A loud footstep sounded from the underbrush, stepping out into the open.   
You felt your SOULS being pulled from your chest, you flailing and trying to push them back in. You felt heavier, a navy blue glow emanating from your SOUL. You could barely stand, a sting of pain, when two bones shot forward, one grazing your hip while the other had embedded itself into your stomach. Fuck. You felt the acid slowly leaking out, yourself collapsing in the snow. The figure stepped out. Sans?  
The light in his sockets was gone, one replaced by a cyan and yellow flashing iris. Him too? But you didn’t have any dust on you. What- Undyne. 

“Wait!” The acid was now leaking into your chest cavity, not quite reaching your heart but starting on your other organs. Blood had began to seep through your shirt, spilling out onto the snow.

“why should i, you genocidal maniac.”

“Genocidal? Wha- the monsters?” You remembered the memory in the void, the one of the dying monsters and the striped sweater.

“don’t pretend you don’t know.”

“The striped sweater... “ Speaking was getting harder. The acid moving towards your upper chest. Where the important organs were.

“chara?” 

“The k-knife…” You recalled the sound of swinging metal. How the dust gleamed on it, so intensely. 

“w-wait! h-hold on, kid!” You didn’t want to hold on anymore. First it was Undyne now this. You could feel the acid eating away at your heart, just barely starting on your lungs. And as you died once more, you could hear just barely hear Sans say something in the background.

“fuck. we fucked up, big time.”

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The storms hit hard in Ebott, blackouts, the norm around these parts. With a swing and a push of his forearms, Oliver had lost the goons back in the dust. He was fast on his feet, the sidewalk flying out from beneath him. The rain had drenched the ground, the squelching of his boots, loud on the concrete. Oliver was just a kid, but a thief at that, only stealing what he needed to survive. His parents had left him out in the city, by himself a couple of years ago. They never wanted him and he just a nuisance on their pocket book. He was only ten at the time, just a growing frond. He never payed attention to the mandatory things in school, but in P.E., he lorded over all the children, beating them in every sport and every competition. He liked to be loud and loved attention. He was never afraid to back down from a fight, but when him stealing from a simple convenience store had put him in gunpoint, he kicked the guys shins and ran. He knew how to pick his battles.  
He had nowhere to hide as he was notorious for stealing and every alley had been filtered through. There was one place he could go. Mt. Ebott. The mountain was infamous for numerous reports of missing people. Meh. It was just a dumb mountain. He could handle it. The mountain wasn’t so hard to climb, the evening sun illuminating the mountain trail. The cave at the top was perfect but he wasn’t sure how far it went. And then there was the hole. And just as the others, a force slammed into the back of him, and down the hole he went...


	19. Mistakes Of A Fucked Up Caliber

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ......there seems to be something missing here...... sorry about this......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT GET THE HINT IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS!- After the whole barrier failure (heh that rhymes!) thing had happened, the crew started to regain memories of the timelines. More specifically, of Chara. Everybody know Chara, so the name and the phrase 'striped sweater' make them extremely nervous and hostile.
> 
> Please note, Frisk no longer wears a striped sweater. They just wear one of San's jackets all the time.

What Were You Expecting?

Once again, the void came into being. The same arch of light, which you refuse to look at, had begun it’s normal duty. The hand moves to the number five, the number six seeming to dissolve into a thick goop. It seems that the numbers display the way you die. Beautiful. The arch just constantly reminded you of how close you were to your final death. You’d already lost four, and you just lost two in a row! What had happened in Snowdin? Were the others like this? You didn’t think Sans would lash out like that. You didn’t think Undyne would either. What was happening to your friends? You couldn’t really call them friends anymore, as friends don’t murder their friends in cold blood.   
As you thought, the melody from the bell played like normal, the music resetting your HP bar to maximum, and mending the broken. Not that Sans had broke anything. More like turned your chest into a bloody soup. That was, by far, the worst death you’ve had. You the bell fade away and like normal, prepared yourself to live again. You felt the cold. Just barely. Thank god you’d had the sense to dress warmly.   
It wasn’t far, but you couldn’t chance it. You broke out into a sprint, your feet crunching in the snow. You ran around the perimeter of Snowdin, purposely missing the skeleton brother’s house. The long path to Waterfall began. Well, apparently life has its cons. You really should have learned to be more quiet in a dangerous situation.  
You slowed down, the waters of Waterfall, choppy and angry. You could see the crystals on the ceiling and you could hear the buzz of the echo flowers. The one thing that you didn’t hear was the rapidly approaching footsteps. It was peaceful, and then pain. You could only guess that the trident that had impaled you had been purposely aimed there. Right in the lung. Wow. Your attacker slid out the trident, your limp body falling to the ground, lifelessly. Back to the void it seems. The arch was already out by the time you got there, the hand moving to the number four, the number five being impaled by a mini trident. You weren’t getting sick of death, but life was starting to become a pain in the ass. You let the void do it’s thing, as you’ve been through this song and dance six times now. At this rate, you’d be joining your parents in a couple days.   
Once again, you woke up, your body resting on a small peninsula. Calm waters surrounded it, echo flowers nearby. They were about to say something you turned your head away. You felt nauseous. What you didn’t hear was the sounds of a rapidly passing conversation. But by the time it began to play, you’d melded into the walls. You couldn’t lose another life, not so soon. It was really starting to affect you in a bad way. You felt the familiar pull on your SOULS. Oh. Right, the tablet. Was it still there?  
You reached into your pocket, your paws closing around the large rock. And for the second time, you journeyed again, this time with no additional cargo. It was just you and tablet, on a journey to find the second piece of the SOUL fragment. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They fucked up. They fucked up BIG time. All of them had. The poor girl had died three times in a row. Because of her mistake. Undyne sat against the wall of her house, her head in her hands. She didn’t even check her stats! She just offed and killed her. Killed Lion. Undyne had fucked up. She’d thought that, what, with all that dust you had on your body that you had been the culprit behind the mass monster genocide in the Ruins. You tried to tell her but she didn’t even bother to listen! What kind of friends was she? And now you were gone. She knew that you’d re-spawned only to get killed by Sans, to re-spawn only to get killed by Asgore. For fuck's sake! Undyne was in some deep shit. Almost everybody in the group had heard about her fuck up, Alphys being the only one to console her. Her LV went up. Her EXP did, too. All because she neglected to hear you out. She dishonored the one thing that she thought was right: justice. And now was the bad guy. 

So was Sans. He had to watch as his friend, from a year of being gone, had died right in front of him. And he caused it. He fucked up, just like Undyne did, and just like Asgore did. He’d been late at calling Asgore, to warn him about Undyne’s mistake. It was too late. The dust that Asgore had on his cloak had been a sign. It’s not like they could apologize, as she always re-spawned somewhere different every time. Asgore was quiet the entire time, and when the time came, he left without a word. Strangely, Toriel left with him. The entire group knew. And his LV rose. So did his EXP. There was nothing that could console him.   
The poor girl was probably scared to death. And no apology would fill the guilt that they had. No amount of forgiveness would fill the guilt either.

Toriel was lost between grieving and depressed, the new child, Oliver, to the addition was a happy one but despite how hard they try, Toriel knew. The death of the catacombs had been a reality shock, the curtains of ignorance and the tendency to shield herself with her children had failed. She grieved over the death of Lion, who deserved nothing but mercy. She’d been killed, many times. What life was she on? Toriel didn’t know. The three children had began to pack their things. The house looked empty, and Toriel did not know if she could handle the pressure for much longer. 

Frisk was less talkative than usual, holing themselves in their room. Toriel had told them that they were moving to Waterfall. Snowdin was too dangerous, and the dust in the air had proved her claim. They came to a plush of theirs, a doll in the shape of a lion. In fact, THE Lion had made this for them on their birthday. It didn’t hold the vanilla and citrus scent that it used to. They hugged the doll tight, tears rolling down their cheeks. Sans had told them that Chara was back, the demon spawn, using Lion’s own body as a host. It didn’t sound right. Frisk had finished packing up their stuff, casting a sad look at the room they once lived in. The felt something…

The two other children were fine. Oliver had been introduced to the system of the situation and with some thinking time, he agreed. They now had two pure SOULS: one of PATIENCE, and one of BRAVERY. Oliver was insistent on keeping our hopes up, and that things would be okay. The kid tried relentlessly to bring a smile to the others faces. For the longest time, nobody knew where Papyrus went, Sans out in the elements to find his younger brother. Where they found him wasn’t the greatest place. The’d found Papyrus at the old house of Lion’s. He just sort of, stood there, as if waiting for somebody to open the door. For Lion to open the door and greet him. But nobody came.

It’d been two years since he’s seen you. After the incident with Asgore, you went missing again, you obviously hiding. He’s never stopped looking, not since the first year. Nobody knew where you were, or how you were doing. There were no chats through the grapevine. The electricians had cut the power off the Snowdin, conserving the energy in the underground. It was all happening so fast. 

Alphys was quickly running out of hope. With recent studies, the lava in Hotland had been cooling. In about a couple years, it’ll become solid. Oh dear god. With all the new residents in Waterfall, the plumbers and electricians had to do a lot of rewiring. The cavern of Snowdin was immersed into total darkness, upon which would last forever. The skeleton brothers moved to Hotland and Toriel moved to Waterfall. Alphys stayed with Undyne. Things were getting worse and worse. And more hope was lost...


	20. Moving Through The Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...........you feel.....something........

A Letter From Home

It was a lot noisier in Waterfall. The walls of the cavern were slick with icy cold water. But out here, in the land amid the crystal geodes, there was no sound. The waters were clear, tiny fish swimming gracefully through the icy waters. Some leapt out, their shiny fins skimming over the water like wings. The cavern ceilings were higher in depth. Archways and balconies lined the interior, waterfalls cascading down the rocky walls. The cherry blossoms that floated on the surface gave the sweet scent of cherry and a tang of daffodil. Huge crystals jutted out from the lake's bottom, each, a multi-colored geode, giving off different lights. Only three of them glowed amongst the seven: blue, red, and orange. Each light illuminated the cavern, reflecting off the quiet waters of the lake.  
It looked like a long fall from where you sat. You were perched higher up in the caverns, your tail hanging off the side, flicking water across the cavern. Your ears were drawn to their sides, the drip of falling water droplets, like a strum on a harp. There was no noise here. There was no death here. Only peace.   
You watched as the foam of the waterfalls danced on the water’s surface, joined by the stray cherry blossoms and buttercups that had been carried here. This cavern was underneath the main region of Waterfall. For the history of this place escaped you at the moment. You did learn that this cavern used to be the home of an ancient city. To humans or monsters, you didn’t know. The archways each led to a different room, the rare puzzle making you come back to it later. It just happened to be one of those times.  
This cavern was not like the maze underneath Snowdin. This cavern held hostile monsters holograms, puzzles, traps, and tools to help you as you traverse the land. Your stats had increased for each monster you fought, not exactly killing them but making them beg for mercy. After all, you did have the magic of a boss monster. And if you had no choice, you could just draw power from your human soul.   
You scratched at your cheek, the current puzzle stumping you at best. In this room there was a set of staircases and a dark hallway. Whenever you had walked down the hallway, you ended back in the same room. The sign stated to do the impossible. But what exactly had that meant?  
You peered over the cliff, your amber eyes landing on the tops of the many archways. When you solved the puzzle in a room, a new gemstone would place itself at the tip of the arch, signifying that the puzzle was already complete. Some were talc, and some were garnet or amethyst. You spotted a lone pearl all the way across the lake. There were rubies and sapphires, emeralds and jades, with the occasional diamond. Each glowed with their distinct color.  
For each room you solved you earned a key. Your eyes lingered on the large mahogany door that stood at the top of the waterfall. The door had twenty six locks, with a large lock right in the center. You only had twenty four and you had no idea where to find the big key.   
Getting to your paws, you turned around, bidding the beautiful lake, a farewell for now. The archway loomed over you, the empty indent taunting your intellectual prowess. You stepped into the room again. It was actually nicely decorated, some potted plants here and there and tendrils of moss and vines hung from the walls. It smelled earthy. The cool dirt underneath your paws was cool and smooth, the click of your claws silenced. And then there was the hallway. It was pitch black, much like the tunnel in Waterfall. Well. Do the impossible.  
You felt incompetent, picking up a stone and tossing it into the dark hallway. As you threw it, it hit the floor, a piece chipping off before it went into the hallway. Suddenly, the broken piece moved after it, the pebble rolling out, perfect, with no chips or pieces missing. Didn’t you break off that corner? An idea hit. You went down the stairs, plucking a palm leaf from its fellows. You then picked up a boulder, and set it down. You began to tear the leaf in two, setting both on the ground. Taking one piece, you set in under the boulder. That should keep it from moving. You picked up the other piece, breathing in harshly. If this didn’t work, nothing would. You stepped into the hallway, paying no attention to the piece of the leaf that was trapped under the huge rock. As you came back out, the leaf that you held, was perfectly intact, an exact replica of the piece under the boulder in perfect harmony with the other. The leaf had suddenly burst into flames, the piece underneath the rock, burning into ash.  
You heard the sound of a lock click and with that, a small golden key fell from the ceiling. You grasped the key, looping it into your key ring, in which you now had twenty five rings. Two more to go. The darkness in the tunnel had faded away, a new corridor in sight. You walked in, a beacon of light issuing from the middle. On one side of the room, a large panel was painted to look like the sky, blue and covered with clouds. On the other side, a panel portrayed the night, with tons of stars littering the sky. On two panels, each was decorated: one was the sun and one was the moon. Wow.  
You walked closer to the beacon, your SOULS pulling you towards it against your will. There lay a date on the glass surface, indented in the glass.

“2/22/22 2:22” It appeared to be a date of sorts. The calendar had to be involved. Let's see. You knew that the first two had to mean February, the second month of the Gregorian calendar. The second set of twos had to mean the twenty second of February. And the third set of twos had to mean the twenty second of a year. The last twos meant the time. You began to move the panels, overlapping the day panel with the night panel. You knew you were correct with that as the panels locked into place. But the sun and moon placements were gonna be hard. You thought for a hard time, then, moving the moon panel to sit high in the sky. It clicked. A small golden key fell into your paws, right as the room was swamped in darkness. Darkness was a friend. That didn’t stop the massive earthquake underneath you.  
You exited the room, looking back at the tip of the archway. A piece of lapis lazuli sat in the hole, a dark navy light emitting from it’s depths. The ground was still shaking, and the waters in the pool had began to move. You made your way down the cliff side, careful not to get yourself tangled in the moss or vines. You looked around. The waters of the lake were choppy and dark, the petals sinking into the depths. The geodes in the lake shone more brightly, almost blinding you with their beauty. Each and every archway had been filled with a gem, the lights from them coming together at the apex of the tallest geode. The ground had stopped shaking. You went up to the door, taking out your key rings. Each ring began to glow a crimson color, separating from the key ring and turning on their axis.   
You watched as each key fitted themselves into their locks, turning automatically. Within seconds, giant golden key fell from the ceiling. It glowed a huge of darker crimson, sinister in all of it’s dark glory. You picked the key up, having to hold it with two paws. You fit the key into the giant lock, turning it to the right. It clicked. Suddenly, all the keys faded away into nothing, the door opening into nothingness. But there was something beyond there. Right?   
You took a breath, stepping into the darkness. Whatever was in here was your final step to achieving something. Here we go.  
As you stepped inside, the massive doors behind you closed, a lock clicking shut. Welp. The cavern wasn’t dark but something surely was. And then it spotted you.  
A grisly creature rose from the darkness, it’s six legs large, and clawed at the ends. It had many heads, the necks thick and scarred. It had the body of a dragon, heavy built and yet agile and free-floating. The wings that furled out from the great beast were gruesome, bone clearly showing through the tufts of feathers and scales missing. It had a long scaly tail, with huge barbs on the end, that were dripping an unknown substance. It’s heads were that of dogs, the teeth long and sharp. It gave a low, throaty snarl, it’s hackles raised and it’s tail not violently lashing from side to side. And out came the souls.  
While you had two SOULS, the beast had nine, each attached to one of the heads, if you could sever the heads, you could destroy their souls.   
The creature started off the battle, two of the heads opening their jaws to form energy beams of sorts. You dodged to the side, cloaking your paws in fire. The flames blazed a bluish-white color, the shapes of multiple lion beasts shaping on the walls. You flicked your arm forward, three of the minions lunging for the beast.   
The beast reared it’s head, using three of it’s clawed paws to bat away at the attacking minions. You threw out your arm to left, bringing it sharply to the right. Before the beast could react, you summoned a fourth minion to attack, the minion locking it’s sharp teeth into the beast’s neck. You brought your arm back to the left, the three minions from the beginning opening their own maws to create a highly concentrated beam of fire. Together, the beams sliced through one of the necks, the head falling into the floor and disappearing. You heard the sound of a SOUL shattering. Next one.  
You dodged to the left as it brought down another paw, attempting to get rid of the four minions. You threw your right arm out again, two of your minions slamming into the belly of the beast. A twitch of the left wrist. A minion flew through the air, dragging their sharp claws across the neck of another head, the blood exploded from out of the neck, spurting out in rapid jets. You’d struck an important vessel. The head in question went limp, disappearing into the background, another SOUL in pieces. The beast, with seven heads left had not expected you to move in the meantime, you called out more minions, the cavern floor covered in them. You were attached to the walls, your claws digging into the rocks. You drew out one hand, the tons of them, charging up their beams. The beast could only try as two of it’s head shot off, disappearing and two more souls added to the fray. This went battle went on for a while, the tension rising as you felled off the second head, leaving the last head to regain full control of the host body. It was time. With what strength you had, you summoned forth all the magic in your monster SOUL. The rising embers from your minions surrounding you in a blaze of triumph and soon to be glory. Underneath it, you were puny. With all the magic you had left, you summoned the mother minion. Her body consisted of the hottest flames, a blazing white that lit up the cavern walls. While she had no mane to speak of, the tendrils of fire and smoke wafting off her boding gave the impression of an explosion. The mother minion had no eyes to speak of, her eye sockets pitch black, with small slits of intense light that glared upon the beast with the purest hatred. The mother minion was your strongest bet, the real battle just beginning. The beast unfurled it's wings, flying into the sky and away from the battle. You gave chase, focusing yourself on the mother minion, who scaled the wall as if it were a tiny hill. You decided to call her, Delarose. It was your minion after all, by the way.  
Delarose opened her mouth, a bright beam of light flying out and getting the beast straight through the right wing. It fell back to the earth, thrashing about as it tried to escape it’s inevitable fate. Delarose had unhooked herself from the wall, lunging for the beast’s neck. The two rolled around, each at each other's throats. Delarose bit down hard. The beast gave a cry of pain, the sound reverberating around the cavern. With a swift glance, Delarose eyed you. You gave a curt nod. With a powerful swipe, Delarose knocked the beast back onto it’s hind paws, and without missing a beat, she struck straight, her claws slicing the beast's belly from neck to hind paws. The beast could barely cry out, the blood gushing out from it’s wound. With a feeble attempt at at a counter, it passed, it’s beady eyes glazing over as it disappeared. The final sound of a SOUL snapping signaled victory. With a nod and a bow to the mother minion, she fell onto her belly glaring at you.  
You sighed and pet the huge kitty, Delarose pushing her muzzle into your gentle paws. It was a gift for her battle skills. With a small purr, she turned back into the bright flames, dimming until she was nothing but a faint trace of ash. You sighed. For the past twp years, you've been getting better and stronger at your magic. Almost enough to compete with your parents. Huh. You walked out of the cavern, immediately noticing that the lake had drained. And at the bottom, laid a glowing soul fragment. You leaped into the lake, skidding down the sides to stop at the piece. It glowed as you approached, pulsing gently with the beat of an unknown rhythm. You pulled the tablet out from your jacket pocket. The soul fragment inside glowed brighter at the presence of it’s sibling, the second soul fragment resting beside it’s brother.   
It was time to go. You were sad to leave this place behind, and as you left, you turned back. The lake was full again, the cherry blossoms thick on the water, and the scent of daffodil and cherries thick in the air. You grinned. Time to go, this time for sure. Though you had to be careful. Things had changed for the worst out there, your old acquaintances now trying to hunt you down with death. You shivered. You’d do anything to avoid them. 

It took a while, as the trip to the caverns was a long one. It took the same amount of time as it did in Snowdin, the path to the crystal caverns not becoming known until you ventured up onto the ceiling. You were right about the stars in Waterfall. They were enormous up close. You did some scouting up there, your SOULS leading you towards a piece of a yellow diamond. You had to push the diamond, the gem clicking in it’s place as a stone wall slid out of place. Turns out, there was a whole land of just crystals beyond the walls of Waterfall, leading deep under the earth. You’d been climbing for forever, the pretty crystals now bland from your point of view. Ah. There was the door.  
There was a door a across the vast waters of Waterfall, and could be accessible by taking a boat across the waters from the earthy islands in the Waterfall. Of course, it takes days to get across. You pushed open the door, the smell of rain and wet earth flooding your nostrils. You’d left a boat here, one you’d created earlier from reeds and wood slabs. It came equipped with oars, too. You shut the door behind you, and clambered into the boat. The choppy waters rocked it side to side. You grabbed the oars and began to push and pull, the oars shaping the waves and propelling you forward. You heard the familiar drip of water droplets from the ceiling, the cyan waters murky and pieces of echo flowers littered the place. You were sixteen now, it being two years since you arrived down here. How long had it been since you ate? Or since you’d slept. Huh. Time flies by fast.  
The boat had docked by the bay, the dock silent and still. You quietly made your way out, the lush grass pushing it’s way between your toe beans. It felt good.

\------------------------------------------------------

Apart from the stream of endless cries of forlorn monsters, the underground was it’s normal self. Or at least, that’s what Papyrus thought. The path to Snowdin had been blocked, the monsters with earth magic sealing the holes. He could no longer go to check of Lion had come back, nor could he send her letters anymore. She’d been gone for two years, the only mention of her was tied around the three deaths. Sans, as far as he knew, was okay, the slight dip in mood every once in a while, but he was okay. Papyrus had been promoted a couple times, his rank close to Head of the Royal Guard. Of course, Undyne had been filling the position for years, and because she was his friend, he couldn’t take that from her. Frisk, Sue, and Oliver had often joined him on his daily patrols, nothing new except more land plots for still-moving monsters. It was a lot more cheerier, the deaths having stopped after Snowdin was closed off. Toriel and Asgore were the only two that could go back. Riverman was happy to assist, carrying the two wherever that needed to go.  
Speaking of Toriel and Asgore, the two were seemingly inseparable these days. Toriel had lost most of her confidence, and she’d depended on Asgore to be her rock, her stability. He’d complied, not that he needed her back. He’d gradually accepted his loss of his mate, and had stopped mourning for the things that were long gone. Frisk seemed happier at the re-connection between the two, waggling their eyebrows at them whenever they got the chance.  
Undyne was more happier than she was last year. Since the rate of monster casualties had dropped, her job was just maintaining the peace of the three regions that remained of the underground. Alphys was okay, her only troubles were that of the limited geothermal energy of the magma lake. She and Sans, who’d reclaimed his title of co-head scientist, had began to make plans of dragging energy from the Earth’s core. They were still working on it.  
The children were surprisingly cheerful. Sue was now eight years old, Oliver was now twelve years old, and Frisk was now nine years old. They were always trying to one-up Oliver, who was three years their senior. While Oliver and Frisk went off sometimes, Sue would wander around and mess with the echo flowers. Heh. It was more depressing than you’d think.

It was a quiet day in Waterfall, the weather perfect for a walk. Papyrus had managed to persuade Sans and Alphys to stop working on their project and take a break. Never had he seen his brother work so hard, nor did he know that Sans was so intelligent. The two grumbled before agreeing. They were far into the caverns of Waterfall, back at the huge rock hill with the tunnel. They were about to turn into the tunnels when Papyrus had spotted a flash of brown among the rocks. He threw his arms out, silently motioning to look down at the bottom. And they saw her.

Lion was at the bottom, silently making her way across the cavern floor. She was really hard to see, but if you squinted hard enough, you could see the silhouette of her small frame. They all went wide-eyed.

“LION?!” Papyrus had called out to you, you snapping your head towards him to stare. Your amber eyes darted from person to person before you took off away from the group, running away as fast as possible.

“WAIT! NO- COME BACK!” But you were hurtling out of sight. Undyne had thrown herself down the cliff, Papyrus joining the chase. Surprisingly, Sue had joined along as well, and the boy could run.   
You were far ahead, your claws frantically clicking on the stone walls. Undyne had summoned her magic as she ran, a wall of spears enclosing the monster child. The kid stopped, but then leapt onto the wall, attempting to jump over the wall. Papyrus hadn’t missed a beat, his bone magic jutting out from the walls, trapping Lion against the rock walls.   
They watched as she thrashed wildly about, trying desperately to break free. Sue had caught up, him joining the fray. Lion looked different. She’d gotten taller, about the height of Papyrus's shoulder. Her hair had grown to mid-back length, unkempt and fluffy. Her tail had gotten longer too, growing a foot in size. There were massive bags under her amber eyes, her apparently not getting enough sleep.  
But what really took the cake was the overwhelming amount of fear in her eyes. They’d taken a step closer, but recoiled as you threw your arm out, a massive beast of fire shielding her from their view. It was a huge lion, made of fire and all other things hot. It snarled at the group, another joining the fray. 

“Lion! Please calm down!” You didn’t. The beast's began to charge up, their jaws filling with raw magic power. Undyne trembled, Papyrus hauling her and Sue out of the way as the beam shot forth, missing them by an inch. The beam hit the walls, the rocks exploding and crumbling into miniature pebbles. Fuck.  
Sans and the others could only watch as you started to lash out in fear. He knew why you were doing this. You were scared. Scared of them. Scared that they would take another one of your lives. But he’d nearly joined the fight when that beam whipped through the air. It could’ve killed the. Were you trying to kill them? To take revenge?  
Suddenly, a huge explosion rocked the cavern. A large cloud of dust and smoke filled the bottom of the clearing. And when it cleared, Papyrus cried out in frustration, Undyne giving a panicked caterwaul. You’d burned your restraints to cinders, breaking free and disappearing behind the smoke. Lion escaped. Sans wanted to scream in anger. They’d almost trapped you, but you got away. He gave a low sigh. When was she gonna return? Would she ever forgive the others for killing her?


	21. The Fourth Player

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ............they're back................................

Back At Bad Time Central

It had been somewhere in the middle of spring when the third new child had fallen into the Underground. When the monitor had flared to life, Toriel had been the first one to fly out the door, Asgore close behind. They came back with a little girl. She had long black hair that went down to their shoulders, pale white skin, and bright green eyes. She wore a lavender dress, small frills on the ends. Her name was Claira. She had the pure SOUL of KINDNESS. Another soul to add to the collection. All they needed now was INTEGRITY, JUSTICE, AND PERSEVERANCE. The child of kindness had agreed upon the system of the monsters, using her SOUL to liberate the monsters. Claire was from a wealthy line of parents who neglected her needs, and she’d decides upon running away, just like Sue. The two got along quite nicely, as they both enjoyed the simple things in life.   
All the monsters from the other destroyed regions had moved to Waterfall, Hotland, or the capital. There were rarely any deaths to speak of nowadays. Still. The skeleton brothers missed their house in Snowdin, familiar faces scattered about, and nonexistent. Nobody had forgotten how close they were to getting Lion back. But there was something wrong with her. The intense amount of fear in her eyes, the way she fought back that day. It was all…. wrong. Nonetheless, life went on for the group.

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It’d been a close shave earlier. The others had somehow found a way, to locate you. But you managed to escape. Thank god. You held your head in your paws, your claws slowly making their way down your face, gently. You weren’t sure if you could handle a close encounter of that kind again. You’d nearly killed Undyne, let alone, injured Papyrus and the child. Why were they following you? Why was everybody trying to kill you, all of a sudden? You never did anything wrong? You gazed at the small alarm clock on the fireplace, the screen glowing from the dim ember that blew through the house. You’d fled back to Snowdin, digging a hole through one of the walls in Waterfall. The power had been cut out, so the entire area outside your house was pitch black. It didn’t help that you were scared of the dark, either. Every time you steeled your courage and looked through the windows, you saw them. The bodies of the fallen monsters, The monsters whose dust you washed down the drain. You felt stuck. But the darkness was your friend, right?   
You had to sacrifice some pieces of furniture, using them as firewood so that the house wouldn’t be swallowed in the dark. You heard the sound of your old armchair, crackling and burning, the smoke rising out through the hole in the ceiling. This house was caving around you. The snow outside kept beating down, snow piling around your front door. You listened to the silence, a dark grimace spreading across your muzzle. Sigh.  
You didn’t expect the dark in here. As soon as you crossed through, you realized where you were. The sledding slopes. Everything was dark, your ears playing tricks on you as you crossed the threshold of Snowdin. The city was covered in snow, Grillbys completely submerged and the skeleton brother’s house, submerged from everything under their balcony. Your house, on the other hand, was at an elevated height, the piles of snow falling downhill. From here, you could see everything. But you didn’t want to see everything. Not anymore. You weren’t sure how you were going to pass to Hotland, without getting seen by the others. You couldn’t risk that shit again. Not after last time. Not after the last three times. There was nothing out here. Heh. Now, it really fit the description of ‘a barren winter wasteland’. You peered at the tablet next to you. You were too far from Hotland for the tablet to activate. The soul fragment still pulsed brightly, as if cheering you on. There was no more nothing coming to Snowdin. No water, no heat, no light, no energy, nada. You had taken to grooming yourself on the go, as it was very effective at cleanliness.Gross, but effective.  
You hadn’t eaten in awhile, the only shops in Waterfall, and you weren’t sure if they’d be too welcoming to a kid who's been gone for two and a half years. You couldn’t travel with the Riverman, as his routes rarely came here. But if you could, you could take the hole you got here with. It was the only way, and you couldn’t risk digging another into oblivion. The hole was in a safe spot, a tunnel paving the way to Snowdin. Of course, only you could go through, as others wouldn’t be able to bend and flex their bodies like you can.  
There was nothing to be done. You couldn’t sleep, the fear of somebody watching you in the dark. But that was the only way to get out of here. You steeled your courage once more, picking up the tablet and stuffing it into your pocket. It was just the dark. Stop being such a scaredy cat. Suddenly, you remember a day two years ago, when you and Sans were constantly throwing puns back at each other. Papyrus would shriek in disgust and leap out the living room window. But that was a long time ago. You weren’t sure why you were scared of Papyrus, though. He didn’t straight up kill you, nor did Undyne. But you saw the large group. You did not want to die. But would they kill you if they found you? Would you ever forgive them for what they did? Even if it was a mistake? You didn’t know the answer….  
You remember arriving here, to stumble upon Papyrus’s letters. You didn’t burn these. You took the time to read every one. Most summarized what had happened since she was gone while others stated how much the others missed her. These came from a year ago. There was three letters at the bottom, one from Sans, one from Undyne, and one from somebody named Asgore. Each was an apology letter. These were dated a year ago, too. You left them be.  
The darkness was a friend. That was what you kept telling yourself, as you walked through the woods. It seemed that with each step you took, you kept remembering the old times, when life was simple and dust wasn’t thick in the air. You felt the thick, hot tears run down your cheeks as you did. You remembered the time you forced down Papyrus’s spaghetti pancakes, the time you won against Toriel at Bingo, the time when you went scuba diving with Undyne, the time when you watched anime with Alphys, and the time when you went exploring with Frisk. The tears came down harder. You remembered hanging at Grillbys with Sans, chatting with the Snowdin shopkeepers, helping out at the librarby, playing poker with the dog sentries, and petting the greater and lesser dog. And as you came upon the grand pine tree in Snowdin Central, you broke down and sobbed.  
And you kept remembering. You remembered running around with M.K., you remembered watching as the rock family played monsters and humans, you remembered wrapping the presents with Dol, the bear that always checked the presents under the tree. You remembered chatting about politics with the bear bouncer at Grillby’s, you remembered watching the ice wolf do his job, and you remembered knocking on the ghoul’s house. You remembered taking the Snowdin tunnels with Snowdrake, trying on hats with Icecap, un-decorating Gryftrot, and playing with the Annoying Dog. And all your acquaintances, NO, all your FRIENDS, were somewhere, scattered around the underground. You picked yourself up, the tears stopping just for a minute or two. You continued onto the slopes, the hole into the Waterfall in your sight. You stopped at the hole, turning back on your heel. You felt your jacket swaying in the cold Snowdin wind. Well. Time to go.

You’d been walking for awhile. The lush grass of Waterfall was always soothing. The calm cyan waters gently splashed onto the river banks. You could only guess where everybody had moved to. At the beginning of the caverns, there’d been guards to make sure nobody leaves the cave. Apparently, only royalty and those who are strong enough can pass through. It would’ve sucked if you tried to burst through. You remembered the names of the guards: Dogamy and Dogaressa. They were especially good at poker, and often nuzzled their noses together. But they were cute and you didn’t mind their public displays of affection. It was much hotter here in Waterfall. It must be summer here, or something.   
Your claws quietly clicked on the dirt floors, your paws stuffed in your jacket pockets. It wasn’t quiet. There was nowhere to hide, and the waters were populated by many. Despite what you told yourself in Snowdin, there was no way not to wing it. The whole place was filled to the brim with monsters, there being no empty clearing in sight. You had to opt for blending in with the crowd. It was working so far, as you’d seen Grillby, the shopkeepers, and even Greater Dog, all of which didn’t seem to notice you. Probably because you were tiny. You kept walking, splitting from the crowd to stop by the water’s bank. It wasn’t as populated here, the tide slapping gently against the sand. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all.  
A strong hand and attached it’s grip to your arm, the force of the equality of a bear trap. You turned around slowly, there was no way you could use your magic here, not without making a scene. You heard a deep and husky chuckle, the grip on your arm tightening all the more. Fuck. That voice could only belong to one person. The one skeleton that you did NOT want to run into to. You took a deep breath. No escape. It was just you, Sans, and… a clearing? Your mind was too focused on the clearing to pay any attention to Sans, who’d released your arms.  
It was surrounded by water, and nothing else. Just a rock in the middle of the ocean. No flora or anything, other than two other people you didn’t want to bump into. The two said people being Undyne and Papyrus. The two were sparring, hint word: WERE. As soon as you’d appeared in the clearing, the two had dropped what they were doing to stare. You backed away from them, only to bump into Sans, who’d caught you and held you still. Nope. You were having NONE of that. You flicked your hand, a minion of fire appearing at the edge of the clearing. 

“Whoa! Lion, calm down!” Never. You moved your fingers slightly, the minion splitting into more and more until the group was surrounded by them, each charging up a beam. You did not want to die. Sans had tightened his grip, him forcibly moving your arms behind your back. That was fine. You could just tell them what to do through your SOULS. The largest one glanced your way, you nodding despite Sans’s futile attempt at keeping your head still. The minions fired from every direction, a harsh light filling the air. Ding!  
You’d been let go. A dim green light filled the clearing, dimming into nothing when the smoke cleared. It was Undyne. She’d created a wrap around shield. The trio was behind it, Undyne vanishing the shield. You could see where this was going. There was no escape, and like a cornered animal, all you could do was fight back. You threw out your arm, more minions dispersing around your side of the battlefield. Undyne had started the match, an apparent three against one kind of battle. Fine then. You watched as your SOULS were pulled out. This time you wouldn’t die. You felt the ground shake, you stepping an inch to the right as a horde of spears pierced through the earth. You knew your senses well enough to dodge precisely. At the twitch of your ears, you ducked, a cyan bone whizzing past your head.

“Lion please! We just want to talk!” So did you, but none of them ever gave you chance when they murdered you. You thrust yourself forward, your minions at the ready as they busted through Undyne’s shield. She countered with a physical movement, charging you with a spear. You ducked the next storm of bones, side stepping her charge before throwing a minion on top of her. 

“Stop attacking!” Last time you checked, they’d been asking for this for the longest time. A minion suddenly pushed you out of the way, it firing a harsh beam of light to counter another. A swarm of dragon skulls had circled the clearing, each charging up a new beam of power. You summoned two for each, easily scorching the blasters. They through attack after attack at you, not pausing for any turns. They’d all but given up on trying to talk you out of the battle, their words starting to become annoying.

“WE DO NOT WISH TO HURT YOU, DEAR FRIEND! WE ONLY WISH TO TALK TO YOU!” Papyrus was at his strength's end. His brother was too, the bones had began to cease in amount. Undyne was barely standing, the pieces of broken shields littering the clearing. The kid however, kept attacking, lashing out in anger and fear. They just wanted to talk, was that so hard to ask? But it was. They all knew why she was refusing to stop.

“Why won’t you let us talk to you?!”

“Because you never let me!” With that, you summoned another round of minions. They were highly durable, like miniature tanks that had a fuck ton of destructive power. 

“We’re sorry!”

“Sorry doesn’t make up for the three lives you costed me!” You commanded the minions to fire again, Undyne barely blocking the attack as when the attack hit, her body went flying across the field. They’d taken quite the beating. You’d pressed them as hard as possible, getting Undyne’s HP to a steady three had taken quite some time. You took Papyrus’s HP to two, and Sans hadn’t even taken a hit from you. He only had one HP. You weren’t going to kill any of them. You would never take the life of anyone, no matter how bad. It was when a boat had appeared next to the shore that you took off. They didn’t have enough energy to swim after you. You disengaged from the battle, jumping into the cold ocean. 

“OH! COME ON!”

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It’d been awhile hadn’t it. They’d been without a body for so long, that they’d resort to anything. They’d slaughtered the multitudes of monsters, using an old body that they came to possess in the last timeline. It was so dark in the place. Ever since the old hag left, there’d been nothing to kill. They’d been dumping the spare bodies in a pit, nothing being of use. But there was ONE thing that they would have possessed.There’d been a kid who fell into the pit two years earlier. She had two SOULS. But they’d missed their opportunity, felling a stronger monster when it’d taken place. And they’d let it get away. But not this time. This time, they’d been around to watch the fourth human fall. Her SOUL was weak, the pure KINDNESS wafting off of it, like a banquet to the demon. And they’d possessed the body. It was young and fairly new. This timeline was so interesting, what with it’s new quirks. They only thing that bothered them was that monster child. They were trying to resurrect Gaster, even if they didn’t know it themselves.   
If they had known about the soul fragment being down there, they’d would’ve crushed it to even smaller pieces and scattered it in the snow. But that kid had found it first, taking it as hers. If they would’ve know better they would have stopped caring about that dumb monster child. But the temptation was too great. And with a new body, that could wreak even more havoc than before. This was a new timeline after all, and what better way to break in a timeline, than to kill everyone in it? Chara faded into the SOUL of the fallen child. They’d possess them when they needed. It wasn’t time. Not just yet...


	22. The Hunt For Puss Puss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .......finally. it's taken quite some time, hasn't it?...........

Cracked Up

Papyrus had disappeared sometime during the night, off to god knows where. Sans had panicked and took off saying that he’d find his younger brother before anything bad could happen. Well, that was a truth and a lie. Papyrus had took off, somewhere into Hotland, that being the only place left for his missing friend to not appear. With any luck, she’d be around here… somewhere.  
It had been another long year. Three years since Lion went missing. Three years being in the dark, and three years of death, war, and agony. If Papyrus could remember, Lion had went off in search of an answer for her tablet. Why did she insist on seeing that thing through? Why didn’t he stop her before all this crazy stuff started happening? He couldn’t tell.  
It seemed that he’d been walking forever, the sound of the CORE’s wheezing steam vents blurred into fine static.  
Why was he even bothering to look for you? You didn’t seem to care about him, or the others. No. No, you cared about them. But you were just scared of them. He’d be in your same situation if he was the one brutally murdered three times in a row.  
Funny, how they used to be such great friends, but now… it was like they were strangers. As Papyrus scanned the features of Hotland, he remembered the first time that he’d met Lion. She’d been nervous about something, constantly fidgeting with your paws or twitching an ear or the tip your tail. He was worried. It was suspicious at first, finding a strange kid in the middle of the woods with a dingy sweater and some short shirts.  
Of course, she seemed friendly enough and gradually came along on their party to search for the ‘human’. What really worried him were the times that she’d zone out. And whenever she did, her eyes would do that… thing. Her amber eyes, in which were soft and shone with the brilliance of thousands of stars, became… disturbingly dark. The familiar amber would cloud over, dull and lifeless, as if she’d died and was living through something unspeakable. During those times, Papyrus had wanted to help the kid, but after the first times, they never did it again. But what were they thinking of that could make her thoughts so… bleak?  
But Lion was a good friend. Even after she went missing for a couple days. Her achievements were quite grand, mapping the main parts of the three central regions, along with building a whole house by herself. Papyrus could feel a single tear, pooling at the edge of his right eye socket.  
No. He couldn't be seen crying, not in a place like this. Papyrus gingerly wiped away the now, tears, from his eye sockets, more flooding out at his misgivings. And he was helpless to stop them.  
He remembered when Lion would wake up really early to go on his early morning walks. Sans wouldn’t let him go unless he had a partner. He said it was dangerous to go alone during the dark times. So Lion had opted to rise early, even if she had disturbed her strict sleeping schedule. Funny.  
Lion was never cat-like, in a sense. She didn’t sleep all day, being up for most of the day. She mostly worked with the shopkeepers, painted pictures, listened to various music genres, read books, and went on walks around Snowdin. She didn’t hate water, and went swimming at normal intervals. But it was funny how she’d reacted when anybody tried to pet her. She’d always become flustered and flinch away  
Apparently, she was very sensitive and shy. She was a hermit, and constantly shut herself away from the world, sealed in her own room of orange juice fantasies, and whatever Alphys had introduced to her that she was stuck thinking about.  
It was never too hard to find her, a note always taped to the door telling of her activities but NEVER where she was. Toriel had warned against it, saying that Lion could be hunted down by whatever was killing all those monsters. Funny.  
She wasn’t a very active person though. Lion would often laze about, refusing to move after hours of standing still. But for a person who didn't get up and exercise, she was surprisingly strong. He’d watched as she cut down trees, her claws deteriorating the bark rapidly before it fell into the snow. He’d seen just how much pressure her legs could take, jumping from the stairs on the cavern and landing unharmed on the snow below. He’d seen Lion use her tail for the weirdest things, carrying bundles of twigs, balancing plates, and even using them to carry cargo for trips to customers.  
But Papyrus knew that sometimes he could unintentionally over work a monster. He kept pushing her and pushing her to do more, the bags under her eyes increasing and darkening. But she never complained.  
She was always there when he needed her to be, with a patient smile and an overly warm set of arms to banish the dark thoughts away. That was then, this was now. Lion was gone. Three years. And not a single ‘hello’ to boot.  
But things would get better. He’d find you, and things would be better than ever. He would hunt you down and do the same as you did for him, in the times when he had night terrors. He’d find you and tell you that everything was alright, and that you could come back. That everyone wanted you to come back. That despite being gone for three years, he’d keep searching until he had you in his grasp. It might take a while, but he’d do it. He just had to keep trying. Just keep trying.  
It was around the early morning, the Hotland caverns always bright with the light of the bubbling magma. The scent of burning dust and smoke filled the cavern. But Papyrus had no lungs, so he didn’t breathe it in.  
Strange.  
Normally Sans would’ve noticed his disappearance by now. Sans was normally gone all the time, busy with fixing the electrical pipes and creating blueprints with Alphys for the new drill. He had more bags under his eyes, even more exhausted than usual. And Papyrus couldn’t blame him. Even with his own job, being in the Royal Guard, finally, he felt that in some cases, that it was too much for him. How the other guards would sometimes pick on him or badmouth how gullible he was. Monsters weren’t the same as they were back then. He wished things would go back to way they were, back three years ago. When things were simple, and friends didn’t stray intentionally…

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You didn’t know a place in the world that could rival this heat. The clumps of molten rock were sticking to the bottom of your paws, the tendrils of magma slimy and hot. You could handle lots of hot things but magma was not one of them. It always stuck to your fur and left you feeling stiff and slightly cold for some reason. However, you’d been wading through a shallow pool of it, the stuff reaching up to thighs. It if went any higher, you would’ve bailed. If was slow as hard as hell to take one step, as magma is thicker than you think. And you’d been wading for a couple hours by now.  
You gave a hearty sigh, a grimace appearing on your muzzle as a loud squelch from you paw sinking into the magma, made you visibly cringe. This was so disturbing. You were careful not to trip, as if you did, the tablet would burn up. You looked up above you. A huge glass dome sloped downwards, just barely missing your ears. You knew that the Hotland lake was large and deep but jeez! You could only see the liquid rock swirling in the bottom, the glass dome preventing it from spilling into the second cavern. Getting here was a pain in the tail. Having to arrive in Hotland, soaked and freezing, only to find that finding a secret entrance in here took a lot longer than you’d thought. It wasn’t a cliche panel or tunnel into the place. NO, you took a path through a given placement in time. It was difficult the first time accessing this pocket in time, but the soul fragments helped you get there. You weren’t sure how but the seemed to know a lot about physics. In the end, a door had opened up in Waterfall. It was a cool gray tone, the doorknob being a bright silver. You’d turned the handle, coming face-to-face with a shallow bed of magma. But not before solving a fuck ton of meaningless puzzles. To assure you, your SOULS had began to pull on you, towards the end of the seemingly nonexistent horizon. 

Ugh. Finally. You’d made it across. That took forever. You had three choices: one to the north, one to the left, and one to the right. The one to the north was relatively quiet, except for the small growls of the darkness. The left and right however… um… let’s just say you were filled with discomfort just by listening to the two. Both were filled with the sounds of erotic moaning, and the sound of skin-on-skin. BOTH OF THEM. The sounds were loud and became louder and more grotesque by the minute. What the fuck was going on in there? The shit you had to put up with. You took the north path, because the two side paths were a big bag of nope.  
The north path was lined with boulders, each having something carved into it. Strange. The path led to a cavern, the air hot with steam. You could hear something sizzling, and the sound of a low wailing. You looked towards it and backed up quickly. And then you smelt it. The scent of rotting flesh. There was a body over in the corner, the owner clutching their knees. Their skin was a pale green, some chunks hanging while most were flaked off and scattered around them. There was crusted blood all over them, and thick scars dotted their skin. All of their hair was gone, and their face was just… the eyes were sunken much too deep, the irises dull and lifeless. The nose had been ripped off, the cartilage visible from here. The mouth had been badly altered, the jaws unhinged and the teeth, missing. The arms of the thing were small and deformed, barely reaching around it’s belly. The legs were so small and so fragile-looking that there was almost no way that they could get up. You were terrified. You turned around to leave but the doors was locked. Fuck. You turned towards the body, discovering it to be gone. You backed up. You stepped into something… Before you could move, an arm wast cast around your neck, it’s grip tight and strong. You instantly deployed your fire magic, the embers causing the thing to retreat. It wasn’t what you were expecting that made it all the more terrifying. It loud out a screech, the thing grabbing at it’s head. It began to writhe on the ground, it's hands ripping off skin from its skull. You could just barely see the white from inside the rotting flesh. And with a mighty jerk, it fell still.  
Only for you to discover that it wasn’t dead. A massive form burst forward from the body, ripping it to pieces. It was huge in size, the beast looking be half the size of the CORE. Well today was not your day, huh? It had the body of a worm, with scales scattered about. The scales pointed upwards, bits if flesh dangling on the sharp tips. It didn’t have eyes or anything, just a mouth. Three pairs of pincers formed at its mouth, large and dripping with venom. In it’s mouth lay multiple rows of jagged teeth, perfect for ripping and consuming flesh. You threw out your arm, summoning Delarose from the depths of your magic. This was another case. She glanced at you, the flames of her body flickering navy for a second. You nodded, and she kicked it into gear, taking off around the left side of the cavern. You had enough magical enrgy to make another head minion. This one, you referred to as Hunter. His body was made of the hottest blue flames. He was more than aggressive and could do major damage. He just couldn’t take much.  
You threw Hunter out into the fray, an ear-piercing caterwaul ripping through the air. He took off around the right side of the cavern, ready to rip and tear anything in his way, into shreds. Delarose had gotten to the beast first, she ducked the thrust of the beast, running her large claws over the beast's side. It cried out in agony, a purple slime bubbling out from the wound. Hunter followed suit, clawing the beast's other side. More purple slime issued from the beast’s body, it's cries deafening. The beast was bleeding out too much. Looks like you were worried over nothing. The beast gave a hearty lurch, it's head falling onto the ground. Delarose and Hunter went back into your SOULS, a loving pat before sending them back.  
The beast had crumpled into dust, and with it, the scent of rotting flesh had disappeared. You breathed an audible sigh of relief. In the middle of the clearing, lay a piece of something. It glowed with such an intensity, that you had to shield your eyes to keep from being blinded. It was a soul fragment. The piece floated over to you, floating in your space. You quickly took out the tablet, the piece settling in with the other two. It glowed once more, but then stopped, pulsing gently with the other pieces.  
That was it then. You’d found the three soul fragments. What now? Suddenly, a dark gray door opened up, like the one in Waterfall. It had a light coming from underneath it, flaring and dimming with sporadic intervals. There was a lock in the door. With only one key missing. You eyed the key on the tablet, your heart beating faster and faster. Was this it? Was this what all of your hard work led to? As you stepped forward, your heart beat faster and faster until you reached the door. You lifted the key, slowly fitting the key into the lock. IT FIT...


	23. Finding Gaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .........he's back.......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, but this is an abnormally short chapter. This will be one of two short chapters, so, NO, this doesn't happen often...

An Old Friend

You’d walked through the door, it fading seamlessly behind you. It was quiet. Too quiet. You were stuck in the darkness. A lone figure came up to you, his presence familiar. It was your buddy, the one who spoke to you in your dreams. He was definitely more solid, no trails of slime or anything. As he approached you could see that he wasn’t blurry anymore. You could make out that he was a skeleton. He had two cracks running up and down his head to connect with his eyes. His right eye was a bit quirky and sagged more than the other. His hands had perfect circles cut out of them. But his body was still black and featureless. He appeared to be very happy.

“You have done so well, these past years, Lion. However, I need you to do one thing for me.”

“What kind of thing?”

“I need you to listen, as your judgement shall decide my own fate.”

“Wait. What do you mean?”

“You see, when I was still alive, I was the Royal Scientist. I had worked endlessly to create and develop the power of the human souls that were given to me. It was not a pretty job, but it fueled the monster’s hopes and dreams. It was late around the time when I’d made a mistake with the last SOUL value we had: PERSEVERANCE. And as I tried to fix my mistakes, the other scientists had began more and more unsatisfied with my actions. It had became apparent, as the day it was tested and was perfected, I had slipped again. But only this time, the effects were much worse. There’d been secret testings, as I was a candidate for such gruesome things. I was injected with my own creation. My SOUL was not able to handle the lethal dosage and shattered into pieces. But I didn’t die.” He seemed to look downwards at the floor of the void, a mournful grimace on his face.

“Instead, my pieces flew across the borders of space and time, trapping me in the void forever. Only three pieces got stuck here.”

“So, where do I come in? How am I supposed to help?” You were willing to help. How long has this guy been in here, trapped in the void? Poor guy.

“Alright, I’ll cut to the chase. In the beginning of Hotland, there is a lab.” You remembered the lab you came across when you first came to Hotland. You remembered Red and Blue, and wondered if they were still there.

“Seeing as how you don’t know your way through it, I'll guide you there myself. Just follow your SOUL.” You trusted Gaster. He just wanted to live again. Was that such a bad thing? 

“Now, it’s time to wake up.”

\-----------------------------------------------------

In the winter of the third year, two new children fell down. One was a girl, with long dirty blonde hair pushed into a ponytail. Her brown eyes sparkled with mischief. Her name was Franny. Her twin, his name was Trevor, was shy and quiet. Franny had a pure soul of JUSTICE, while Trevor had a pure soul of INTEGRITY. So far, the two had agreed to the terms. Franny was ten and Trevor was thirteen. Now, the only SOUL they needed now would be PERSEVERANCE. They were so close to freedom.

And they’d be free...


	24. A Cure For Their Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...... rekindle your friendship, or... at least try....

The Door

For the monsters things were getting better. The deaths had stopped completely, all the citizens had finished moving in, there was more space in Waterfall, and there was an endless amount of jobs to do.   
Sans and Alphys were ordered by Asgore to recruit assistants to aid them with their research. It was hard, as some helpers were smart, while others played around by licking doorknobs. Needless to say, they were fired. Alphys had been collecting the parts for the new L50CC2 Megaton Drill, in which Sans had fully developed the blueprints for the machine. If this worked, the drill would burrow deep into the earth and draw heat from the core of the Earth. It sounds crazy but it was logical. Now, all they had to do was hire some monsters who’d help put the damn thing together. And that would take a long time, too. The magma lake was already starting to dry up. Just the other day, Alphys reported that the lake’s elevation level had dropped a drastic amount. They needed to work fast, or else the entire underground would plummet into darkness. But that would take a while, and it wouldn’t happen for another couple years or so. At least, that’s what they hoped. They only had so much land to work with. After all, Snowdin had ceased to be habitable and the Ruins had been abandoned. Only Waterfall, Hotland, and the Capital remain. What will happen if Waterfall collapses? There’s not enough room in Hotland for all the monsters to fit. And all the monsters who can’t stand the heat would have to stay behind and risk death, or go to Hotland and die from lack of water. One could only hope that things would get better. 

\-----------------------------------------------------

The journey to the lab had been long and treacherous. After all, it had been a couple weeks since you had found the last piece of Gaster’s SOUL. But the shards had refused to re-fuse, staying in their own individual pieces, until further notice. Frankly, you had just wanted to rest. You wanted time to figure out your situation, and time to figure out what to do next. Gaster had assured you that he already told you what you were gonna do next, but refused to tell you, saying that he’d tell you when the time is right. Sigh. As of now, you were lingering around the shadows of Waterfall. Like an idiot, I know. You knew you weren’t supposed to be there, but you needed something something from here. And your SOULS happened to lead you through, stopping at an old statue in a forlorn hallway. It was a stone statue and had moss tendrils rising from the sides. Small cracks ran along the base of it, and there were some holes in it too. You looked at the umbrella. The same one you’d left for the statue three years ago. It was beaten and sliced apart, the rain pouring through. You took away the umbrella, and instead gave him something else. Even if it was fairly new.  
You unzipped your red jacket, this one being conveniently waterproof. Even though it was cold in Waterfall, you could handle getting soaked a couple of times. You stepped closer to the statue, taking out your tablet before draping your jacket over the statue. The water began to bounce back, the statue beginning to dry from the lack of water. And then it began to play. Your SOULS began to pulse to the rhythm of the song. You hummed along with the tune, swaying along with the tempo. It was soothing and it was the only thing that was worth remembering.  
It was hard to think anymore. The darkness had taken shelter inside your thoughts, the innocent specks of happiness, gone. You could only remember the bad things. The things that would keep you awake at night, in fear. You would remember the pile of monster dust in the tunnels, the blood on your paws as Undyne had struck you down, the blood in your throat as Sans had killed you, the loss of breath as Asgore had impaled you, the feeling of flesh being torn, the snap of bones crunching, the sound of your body colliding with the floor of the gorge, the nine-headed beast in all of its sadistic glory, the snake beast from Hotland bursting forth from its host’s body, the dust in the elevator, the cries of the innocent, the dusty rag, the bodies in the darkness of Snowdin, your paranoia, and the feeling of dust on your skin.   
The fact that you couldn’t even look at your old acquaintances without your brain kicking into overdrive was… well…. irritating. Everytime you’d spotted an old friend or acquaintance, your brain would startle you, in the worst possible way. The figure would appear much closer, and much more dangerous, a loud static filling your head with fear. It only helped to fuel the fire that was your paranoia. One minute you would be fine, and in the next minute, a miniature amber alert would go off in your head. The sound haunted you in the dark, having you constantly check your surroundings for anything suspicious. Your fear was running rampant. But there was nothing you could do.   
You’d only came back to listen to the melody, hoping it could chase away your fears. It didn’t. You gave a melancholic sigh, turning on your heels to go. You’d mastered the art of being undetected, your claws silent against the cold floors. You could blend into the darkness with ease, appearing nonexistent to the normal eye. It was easier to get around when there were no monsters around, but luck wasn’t on your side today. You had to pass by the main Waterfall civilization, staying in the shadows and being as sneaky as possible.  
The loud sounds of other monster’s conversations had drowned out the dark thoughts in your head. From up here, the civilization was still huge. Houses were built on the water, small wooden bridges connecting them. Monsters busily walked to and fro with their children, with obvious places to be. You were walking along a ledge in the cavern walls, high up above the city. Unless someone was looking with a telescope, they wouldn’t see you up here.

It had started to rain earlier, coming down in a steady downpour. You were getting soaked out here, your only means of protection, the jacket that you’d given to that musical statue. You were clad in an overly large white shirt, with mid-thigh black shorts. The end of the civilization was in sight. Almost there.

You were almost at the gateway of Hotland when Gaster had began to lead you. Funny, how he spoke through your mind.

“Lion? Can you hear me?”

“Yo.”

“Okay. You can hear me. You’re at the entrance of Hotland, correct?”

“Yup.”

“Okay. Go to the four-way junction right before the lab. The people in the lab constantly watch the cameras. You’ll need to stay in the shadows until further notice. Got it?”

“Got it.” You knew what shadows he meant, as there are no shadows in Hotland. You threw your legs over the cliff, hooking on with your claws. Moving sideways, you stuck near the bottom-most layer of rocks, out of sight.

“Okay. The lab has a set of camera men who watch the perimeter of the lab. It’s going to be hard, but we have to deactivate all the cameras at once. But only on one side.”

“So how would I go about doing that, G?”

“I’ll be on the lookout. I need you to move up to the highest layer of rock, but out of camera sight. Understand?”

“Yep.” You hauled yourself upwards on the cliff wall, the top of your head just below the cliff. 

“Okay. Look at the lab for a bit. The cameras are turned away.” You peered over the edge of the cliff, locking onto the lab. It had three separate cameras, one on the left, one near the door, and one to the right. 

“When I say go, you’ll need to melt the cameras in order. You’ll need to move quickly. Once the first camera is down, they’ll come running. If you can, get through the door, and if you can’t, take out the guards with as much force as necessary. But no flashy explosions. Take out anybody inside and make sure nobody sets off any alarms. Heavens forbid, we don’t need that. Got it?”

“Yep.” With that, you hid back under the cliff, your hind claws closer to your belly. You were ready. Any second now.

“Go!” You pushed off with your hind claws, landing on the path right away. You leapt forward, encasing the right camera in flames. Then the next, and the other one. The lab doors had suddenly opened. Two armored guards came out, swords at the ready. You slipped in and shut the doors behind you. There was nobody in here. 

“Alright. Ignore the large desk of fandom merchandise and pick up the white and blue key card on the it. Then, head for the door next to it.” You ignore the desk filled with cat stuff and pick up the key card. It glowed in your hands. You then head towards the door next to it. Hey! You remember this door! The one with the strange lizard panel next it.

“Stick the card into the panel.” A large slit opened up beneath the panel. From behind you, furious banging ensued from the door to the left. Heh. You inserted the card into the slot, the metal door shaking and sliding away to reveal an elevator. You clambered inside and the door closed behind you. You moved to press a button but paused. There was only one button there, the floor labeled as “true lab”. You pushed in the button, the elevator rumbling to life as it began to move down the shaft. No elevator music or nothing. The elevator came to a stop at the bottom, the doors automatically clicking open. It was dark. You stepped out into the darkness, your claws clicking on the tiles. A low groan came from the other room, the tapping of multiple claws on the wall.

“Should I be worried about that?” 

“Do not worry. Those are the amalgamates. They only wish to be fed. You do have some gold, right?”

“Yeah?” 

“Go down these two hallways. You’ll find a vending machine near the generator. Buy some potato chisps. That’ll hold them off until later.” Welp. You set off down the hallway, the clicks on the wall fading into the background. You could hear the air conditioner, wheezing in frail attempts to chill the air. Nope. It was pretty hot down here. Gaster was right. There was a large vending machine, filled to the brim with the crunchy snacks. You got two bags, family-size style. You took salt and vinegar for yourself and cheddar for the amalgamates.

“Seriously? Snacking in a place like this?”

“Dude. I haven’t eaten in a couple of days. Spare me a few chisps.” You ripped open the salt and vinegar bag, the bitter scent wafting out with a tantalizing odor. You began to snack as you walked, taking the time to pop a few in your mouth. Salty. 

“Alright, now go to the right.” You turned down the hallway, coming into a room with numerous beds. 

“Why are there so many beds?”

“They’re for the amalgamates. Go straight. Not into the room with the flowers.”

“I see.” You popped another chisp into your mouth. You savored the taste, as bitter things were your favorite. You then came to a hallway. One path to the left, and one path to the right. 

“Go to the left.” You walked forward, eyeing the rooms as you passed. You spotted a room with a shower inside. Gaster seemed to already know what you were gonna ask.

“We used that room to sterilize ourselves. Bacteria is a nuisance.”

“Okay. I was about to ask what kind, but you beat me to the punch.” Gaster just stared at you. You shrugged. What? You were just curious! You soon came to a room with a large machine hooked up in the middle of the room. It was shaped like a skull of sorts, it’s eye sockets like endless voids.

“Go over to the machine in the corner.” There was a cart over in the corner, a large machine sitting on the top. It was off as of now. It had tons of buttons and wires attached to it, and three levers for something else. You padded over to it, setting down your goods on the floor. Don’t worry taste buds. You’ll have your fun. Later.

“Turn the dial in the upper-right corner and pull the middle lever.” You did as he said, pulling and pushing the switches in the right order. The skull in the room had started to light up, the eye sockets filtering out a bright light. The room began to crackle with magic energy, the hairs on your body standing at attention.

“Put the soul fragments into the middle indent.” You weren’t sure if this would work but you would give it a try. The noise was deafening, you having to hold an arm over your ears to keep from going deaf. You pulled out the tablet from the pocket of your shorts. The soul fragments glowed a dazzling white as they popped out from the hold of the tablet. They began to attract each other, the first piece clicking with the second piece which clicked with the third. They created a cracked version of a monster soul. It began to spark with magic power, the bits beginning to come apart. You took away your arm, using both to push the pieces of the soul together. With a firm shove, you fitted the soul fragments into the indent. The machine began to smoke and whistle, giving the room much more noise than normal. You backed away, leaving the chisps to defend themselves. Quiet.  
A dense quiet had filled the air, followed by the light engulfing you in its grasp. It was so very hot. You could feel your SOULS being ripped from their place in your chest. They’d stopped pulsing, and instead, glowed with the same intensity as the light in the room. You felt yourself cry out for help. And a warm hand wrapping itself around your own, answering your call.  
And then, darkness had ensued.   
Why were you here? The familiar arch of light had appeared, the numbers 1-4 floating above. You watched as the hand moved towards the three. The number four trembled and shattered, the pieces flying away into the void. As there was nothing to fix, the bell filled the silence, it's peaceful sound soothing to listen to. Your ears ached, your eyes burned, and your body was sore. But you did the right thing.   
The darkness faded out of sight, and the familiar floor of Waterfall had appeared. You sat in the middle of a corridor. It felt like you’d been sitting here for a long time. The tablet was gone. Probably left in the true lab, or it had disintegrated with the intense light. You hauled yourself to your paws, your stance unsteady and your legs weak. You put your paws on the wall to steady yourself, catching a glint of light on the floor. On the ground sat a white key. It was as big as your paw. You stooped to pick it up, stopping as you heard something appear in front of you. You looked up, only to see a white door in the wall. That wasn’t there before. The door had a lock, the key slot bigger than average. You eyed the key in your paw. You approached the door and fit the key in the lock. The door swung open. You took a breath and stepped in. 

Weird. You weren’t in the void like you’d expected, but instead, had stepped into a lab room of sorts. Everything was white and had been polished nicely. Test tubes and vials littered the counters, empty and clean. 

“Ah! There you are! I was wondering when you’d get here!” You turned around to face the voice. It was Gaster. Hot damn. He looked entirely different than before. His face had remained the same, cracked and all. But this time, he actually had a body. He wore a long black lab coat with a white turtleneck underneath. He also wore black slacks with a goober-looking pair of shoes to match. He was currently scrambling about, a pile of something white draped across his shoulders. He looked excited about something. Heh. You leaned against a counter, watching him as he went about. He then stopped in front of you, holding something out to you. It was a white lab coat with a pair of glasses.

“I’m going to need your help with something.”

“I see that, but… what’s with the glasses?” 

“I saw what you saw whenever I had to lead you somewhere, and frankly, your eyesight is terrible. I managed to make you a pair of glasses in the meantime, so that everything wouldn't seem so blurry.” It was true. You were near-sighted and often had to use more eye power than necessary to see further than you normally could.  
You tried on the lab coat. It was really big, and dragged on the floor ever so slightly. The sleeves went down to your knees. You didn’t mind. It was cozy.

“You might want to roll up your sleeves as we have work to do.”

“Okay. Speaking of which, where are we?”

“We’re in a pocket of space time. It’s only accessible by having a key to this room, but you and I are the only ones that can get in here.” You tried on the glasses. Everything became much clearer and pronounced. Much better.

“Ready?”

“Yup!”

\-----------------------------------------------------

This was the fourth year since Lion had went missing. Another child had fallen, the last one having the soul attribute of PERSEVERANCE. She had curly red hair and bright green eyes. She had called herself Marilyn. It had took a long while for her to agree with the terms of the monster system, but she still had yet to befriend all the monsters. The other children had, and with that, the monsters could soon go free. The only problem was something that they didn’t expect: a sickness. All of the children had caught a strange sickness that couldn’t be explained. The symptoms included hallucinations, coughing, a high fever, trouble breathing, and the inability to get up. Thus, Toriel and Asgore were taking care of them, none of the children perishing from it. Alphys and Sans couldn’t find a cure. Not to mention, the sickness only affected humans. They had no leverage to go off on as none of them knew what a human comprised of. They could’ve asked Lion, but she was gone. Long gone.

\-----------------------------------------------------

“Prepare the extract and stir the solution!”

“Already on it!” You’d been working with Gaster for a year, helping him create a variety of things. The one thing you were working on as of now was the cure for the strange human sickness. Word had gotten out that the humans had gotten sick with a strange illness that monsters couldn’t catch. You weren’t sure if you could catch it, but you rarely ever got sick. Gaster had mentioned the symptoms but he didn’t know what they did to the human body. You had to tell him instead. Combining your knowledge together, you set to work on making a cure for the illness. It was almost done. But, with every good thing comes a bad thing. It had yet to be tested, but you couldn't abduct one of the children. 

Alas, you had to be the one to do it.  
Gaster had put it simply, that you had to go directly to the children and administer them with the shots. There were seven different cures, one for each soul attribute. Each syringe was filled with the cure, labeled with who was getting it. The only problem now was conquering your fears, and finding the others. You were nervous, extremely so, but Gaster had reassured you that you were safe and that if anything were to happen to you, he would extract his revenge. Okay. You stored the syringes in your lab coat, separate pockets for each of them. With a click of the lock, you stepped back out into Waterfall. The cold breeze ruffled your hair. The door suddenly disappeared behind you. Welp. No going back now. 

You had been walking for about half an hour before you found it. A building near tem village, similar in construction to Grillbys. It even had the logo on the top. The same bear monster stood in front of the entrance. You stepped in. The warm air seeped into your clothing, comforting and tranquil. Nobody seemed to notice you as you made your way to the bar. If Grillby was here, he’d known where the others are. You stopped at the bar, and sat, waiting. You’d soon caught his eye, and you waved him over. He looked mildly confused.

“It’s been four years since I’ve seen you, Lion. What are you doing here?” His voice was low and raspy, crackling with the embers of his fire.

“Do you know where the others are? I need to find them.” He raised a fiery eyebrow.

“For what reason?”

“Private business.”

“Do you want me to call Sans?” You froze up for a second, fear filling you with apprehension. You nodded, and Grillby stepped away, picking up a phone on the far away counter. You were trembling in your seat. It wasn’t long before you felt a hand land on your shoulder. The static came back, this time at full force. You slowly turned to face him.

“heya. grillby said you wanted to talk to me?” Sans was staring at you, the lights in his sockets dim. 

“More like ask you for something important.” You were trembling badly, but you couldn't help it. You were scared of him, despite how you held him off in your last battle.

“woah. chill out, kit. i ain’t gonna hurt you.” You gave a low chuckle.

“If only I could believe that.” 

“alright. come on.” You got up from your stool, following Sans out the door. He made sure to hook his arm with your left one, just so you couldn't get away.

“so what’s with that lab coat?”

“Uh. New fashion sense? Look. I need to find Toriel.”

“why?”

“Let’s just say, you’ll thank me later.” The two of you began to walk through Waterfall. Sans had hooked his arm through your own, making sure that you couldn’t get away.

“ya know, it's been quite a while since we’ve seen you around. how old are you by the way?”

“Eighteen.” Sans let out a whistle. Yeah. It had been a while, huh?

“so what have you been up to, since then?” 

“Well, I solved the puzzle of the tablet and explored the bowels of the Underground, hid from the masses, honed my training skills, went through a whole bunch of bullshit, and the some.”

“you solved the tablet? well, what happened? what was the grand mystery?” You could tell that Sans was genuinely curious. 

“Well, some guy had his soul shattered across the fabric of space and time, so I found the pieces and put him back together.” Sans seemed to visibly sweat at that.

“the guy. what was his name?” His voice was low, almost like a growl.

“Gaster.” His grip seemed to tighten as he kept walking. A small cottage coming into view. It was tiny but homely. It was very Toriel-like.

“can we talk later? as of now, we’re at Tori’s house. her and Asgore have been taking care of the sick children.” You knew about the seven children, each being deathly sick. He unattached himself from your arm.

“We can. As of now, I have something that needs to be done.” Sans opened the door, and the both of you stepped in. The warm air had hit you, once again. On the inside, Papyrus and Undyne sat on a couch, discussing something troubling. Alphys was doing something in the kitchen. They seemed to stop what they were doing as soon as they saw you.

“Lion?” Undyne had gotten to her feet.

“LION?” You ignored Undyne and Papyrus, Sans leading you to Toriel. Alphys had dropped something, ditching whatever it was to join the commotion. Undyne, Alphys, and Papyrus followed closely. A large bedroom was coming up. A crude drawing of a bunch of children was taped to the door. The door was wide open.

“My child?!” Toriel who was busy at work had stopped to stare, as did Ashore. You could feel the stares of everybody burning a hole into the back of your head. You proceeded to ignore them, approaching the children instead. They did indeed look terribly ill. They lay side-to-side, packed like sardines on the large bed.

 

“What are you doing here?” You raised your arm, beckoning all of the children's souls out. They each glowed a muted color of their attributes.

“Wait! What are you doing?”

“Work. I’d appreciate if you’d let me do that, please.” You didn’t care if you were getting sassy. There was work to be done. Frisk was the closest. Their SOUL was a muted red, swirls of gray appearing from the sickness. You brought out the syringe addressed to the trait of DETERMINATION. Before Toriel could stop you, you gently inserted the tip of the needle into their soul, and filled it with the cure. The gray swirls seemed to vanish and the red color had became brighter and stronger. As soon as you took out the needle, Frisk had flew forward, clutching their chest. You didn’t pay attention to them as you moved towards the next child. This one had a muted orange soul. You brought out the syringe addressed to the soul of BRAVERY. You inserted the needle, drawing it own when the task was done. The child had rised quickly, doing the same as the child before. You did the same for each child until each syringe was empty and each child, awake. You moved back to observe the side effects.   
The children were all healthy. Toriel looked astounded while the others could only stare.  
Once the deed was done, you set off and out the room, leaving the small cottage. It was sad to leave, but a bit relieving to leave all that tension behind.

“Wait!” Undyne had caught up, locking your arm with her solid grip.

“Relax. I’ll be back later so hold your tits, please.” With that, you freed your arm from her grasp and set out the door, eager to tell Gaster your news. You’d hold yourself to your word, and you would return later. You needed to have a nice, long chat with the others.


	25. A Long Awaited Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's back to normal again. Or is it?

The Reunion 

You’d told Gaster the news earlier. He seemed to be ecstatic that his cure had worked, but more so, that he was alive. The guy seemed to marvel in everything: the flora, the fauna, and even taking part in exploring the abandoned regions of the underground. But nonetheless, you have something to do. You took off your lab coat, hanging it on the coat rack in the corner. Gaster caught you on the way out.

“Are you leaving? Make sure to come back tomorrow!” 

“Alright. Early in the morning?”

“Five in the morning! Don’t forget!”

“I won’t! See ya, G!”

“Goodbye, Lion!” You set out the door, the cold breeze of Waterfall coursing through your mane. It was time to have a long chat. You began to walk through the caverns of Waterfall, the sound of water dripping from the ceiling, bringing on a newfound nostalgia. You were mildly cold in your long white T-shirt and black short shorts. Your paws softly touched down with the grass. God, how you missed this grass. It’s just too soft to resist. You tried to remember the way to Toriel’s house but got lost. But it’s fun to get lost every once in awhile. You stopped at a newly built boardwalk. The waves slapped at the wooden poles below the dock. You stopped to watch the waves. You remembered sailing across this sea with Bob. How was he anyway? You were about to zone out when you heard someone calling you.

“LION? LION!” It was Papyrus. You weren’t gonna run away this time. You turned to face him as he ran towards you. Oh shit, Undyne was here too. Were these two always together? You hid the faintest of frowns as he captured you in his embrace, squeezing all the breath out of you. It was much more forceful than the others. He picked you up a few couple feet off the ground, tears streaming down his cheeks. Undyne had stopped a little ways away, shyly looking down at her feet.

“YOU’RE FINALLY BACK! WE’VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE! YOU’VE CHANGED SO MUCH! COME! THE OTHERS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOUR ARRIVAL ALL DAY!”

“But I only left an hour ago?”

“AN HOUR IS MUCH TOO LONG, FRIEND! NO MORE BOONDOGGLING! WE ARE OFF!” And with that, the duo had began to run, Papyrus holding you like a sacred baby. Undyne had followed closely behind, guarding the rear just in case. The ground flew by in a maze of colors, people parting to let you pass. You spotted a couple people who knew, the surprised look on their faces making you smile. After a while, the duo began to slow down, Undyne playfully glaring at you. You shrugged.

“It’s about time you came home, punk!” As she passed, you felt a spare tear roll down your cheek. You wiped it away with your arm. No tears, tonight. Papyrus had began to put you down, your paws firmly on the ground. You were still as tall as one of his shoulders. And that was tall. Shorter than Undyne, though. You turned around and faced the cottage. The warm light that came through the window was welcoming. Something you haven’t felt for a good, long while.

“COME IN, LION!” You gingerly stepped into the house, Undyne closing the door gently behind you. What the two said had been true. Everyone was gathered in the living room and stared at you curiously as you came in. Papyrus had taken your arm again, leading you to a lone plush chair at the center of the room. Your spot, you suppose. 

“PLEASE SIT.” You did so, plopping yourself into the seat. It felt nice to sit. When everybody was seated, they just sorta stared at you. Guess you have to break the ice, huh?

“You just gonna stare at me? I mean, I know I'm fabulous but jeez, contain yourself.” Toriel had opened her mouth to say something, but Undyne had been first.

“Where the heck have you been for these past four years, and why have you been avoiding us?” You could understand why Undyne was angry.

“Well, I’ve been all over the place for the last four years, and I’ve been avoiding you because, you know, being murdered three times in a row makes you reluctant to chat.” The room had gone silent. Now you felt guilty.

“Dude. Stop. You guys are fine. I forgave you when you didn’t violently murder me the fourth time we met. But still. Next time you plan on brutally murdering me, can you warn me ahead of time?” 

“We’re still very sorry about that.” Asgore looked very sheepish in his spot next to Toriel.

“You know, you still have yet to explain why you killed me. I mean, bleeding to death isn’t as fun as you think it is. Nor is having acid turn your insides into soup. Please explain.” You crossed your arms and legs, locking Undyne, Sans, and Asgore in a narrow glare. Undyne was apparently leading the conversation for the others.

“I hope you like long stories because that’s where this is going.”

“Please, I have the rest of time to listen to your story. I’m listening.” Everybody looked extremely nervous but continued. The extra children in the room just looked confused. Who were they?

“A long time ago in another timeline, this kid, whose name we won’t mention, came to the underground. The kid was a demon who hated humanity, even the kind humans. They wanted to kill all the humans on the Earth, but they died before they could challenge that threat. We don’t know why they hated humanity, but we think it had to do with something from their past. Anyway, when this kid died, they got trapped down here. But their ambition was strong. They needed someone with a strong amount of DETERMINATION to play into their hands. That’s where Frisk plays in.” You glanced over to Frisk, them looking guiltily away. You sighed. 

“Okay, so let me get this straight: in another timeline, a kid with a thirst for hating humanity fell down into the underground. They died down here but didn’t pass on, but they still wanted to exact their revenge on humanity. Is that right?”

“Yeah. Anyhow, this kid took over Frisk’s SOUL in multiple timelines, causing them to commit mass genocide. After all, they needed enough power to wipe out the humans. Who cared if one or two monsters were hurt in the process?” Undyne had paused, waiting for you to catch up. You sighed and held your head in your paws.

“Whoever this kid is, they sound like a complete douchebag. Murdering numerous people for your own ambition is a ballsy thing to do, not to mention that the monsters could’ve just used their magic to retaliate. So what’s the big deal?” 

“Well, we tried that in one timeline, but this is where things get weird. Frisk has enough DETERMINATION to use a sort of magic. It’s can only do three actions: SAVE, CONTINUE, and RESET. Saving and continuing are no big deal, but to RESET…”

“That would be ripping all the memories of previous events from everybody, right? I can see how that would be a bad thing.”

“To cut to the chase, this kid killed every monster over and over, resetting everytime. They were often coated with dust. So I found it strangely coincidental that the whole time you were gone, there was a mass genocide in the Ruins.”

“Wait. What?” That was new.

“Yeah. The whole time you were gone on your adventure, monsters had been disappearing from there. It was a strange coincidence that the day you came out, you were covered with dust. It was also the day that the last known monster in the Ruins had gone missing. That’s why I was so quick to kill you. I thought the kid had taken over your soul or something.”

“Okay. I can see why you did that.”

“The reason why Sans and Asgore were involved was because we knew about your whole nine lives shebang, and we thought the kid would keep showing up again, and would use your lives like toys. But they didn’t. Sans figured that out but we were too late to message Asgore. So we messed up pretty bad.”

“Ooh.” So that’s why they didn’t give you time to talk. It DID make a whole lotta sense, even if it sounded a little funny. Undyne eagerly awaited your response.

“I guess that makes sense, but you could’ve just checked my stats. However, you followed your instincts and there is nothing wrong with that.”

“i'm just surprised that you're not confused about timelines.” Sans had piped up, eyeing you as if you had a dirty secret that you needed to share. Meh. Stare all you want, you have to ask for it.

“Believe me, I’ve gotten an earful from my peers.” You know that your parents had lived for hundreds of years, keeping their lives ,sacred and strong. They always pestered you about timelines and educated you on why they were important. That and the fact that Gaster wouldn’t leave you alone about them. Textbooks, everywhere.

“Ahem. Where exactly did you go on your journey, young one? What did you see?” Toriel had spoken now.

“Yeah, punk! Tell us where you’ve been for the past four years!” All at once, everybody began to bombard you with questions.

“YO CHILL!” The room went silent. You cleared your throat.

“So to begin my tragic story, I’d been exploring Snowdin for a couple weeks, following the pull of my SOULS. These things have came in handy, let me tell ya’. It took me a while to find it, but after a lot of digging, I found this trap door in the rock floor of Snowdin.”

“THE ROCK FLOOR OF SNOWDIN?” They didn’t know? Heh.

“Well? What did you think was underneath all that snow? Underneath that trap door was a whole maze, which was narrow and irritating. It took me a good couple of months in that maze just to find a door.”

“A door?”

“Yep! A door. The thing kept switching places every half an hour or so. Sometimes it was on the ceiling, other times you had to jump a gorge. I just so happened to FINALLY get to it in time. Here’s where things get weird. So my SOULS kept pulling me forward and suddenly, the floor gives out beneath me. And you could only guess what I fell into.” A dark look crossed your face. The bodies still haunted you. Only Sans seemed to notice.

“I didn’t expect it at first, but… the pit was filled with dust.” You could hear the cries of the dead monsters and remember the flashes of the corpses disintegrating. You shuddered. The others were starting to piece it together.

“So that’s where the dust came from?” Undyne looked skeptical. Very skeptical. You continued.

“I didn’t see it until i’d found the first soul fragment, as it was dark in there. I only realized it when I was in too deep. I’d clawed my way out but I lost everything in there: my map, my food, my spare clothes. I couldn’t wash the stuff off of me. I just had to hope that home wasn’t far away.” You paused to rearrange your glasses, continuing when they were firmly set on your muzzle.

“After Undyne had killed me, I just sorta went home and rested for a bit. And then the whole Sans and Asgore ordeal. After that, I learned to just avoid everybody. I didn’t even know Asgore back then! I’ve only just met you an hour ago!” Asgore, the really tall goat next to Toriel, had gaven you an apologetic look. You simply shrugged and carried on.

“Just like Snowdin, there’s a secret to Waterfall too. There’s a large lake under the ground with a ton of crystals growing all over the place. Papyrus would’ve had a blast in there.”

“WHY IS THAT, FRIEND?” You just stared at Papyrus.

“There were a fuck ton of puzzles in there, not to mention that I had to make a time paradox just to solve that last one. That took a good year. Each puzzle was harder than the last. Oh, did I tell you that I’ve murdered two things on my journey?” You heard the sound of glass crack.

“What?!” You flashed a grin at Undyne’s murderous glare, and swapped expressions with everyone in the room.

“Yeah. Snowdin's dungeon didn’t have one but Waterfall and Hotland sure did! Waterfall had a nine-headed dog- dragon- snake thing, whose nine heads, I had to cut off with my magic. Hotland had this weird parasitic worm thing that had the mouth of a spider with a ton of sharp teeth. That thing was nasty. Can you imagine just seeing, oh, I don’t know, uh, Frisk explode in a heap of chunks and this huge worm-spider just come slithering out? Yeah.” Toriel looked like she was about to keel over, as did Asgore. Undyne had paled, Papyrus looked extremely nervous as did Sans, and the children looked like they just shit their pants.

“You faced things like that? And you killed them?”

“Well, not necessarily. When they “died” they didn’t turn to dust. They just sort of 'disappeared’. It was weird and I’d prefer if I never have to go back to those places ever again.”

“Oh. So the soul fragments were in these dungeons?”

“Yup.”

“So, what happened after you got all of the pieces?” Ah. This question.

“Well, ever since the first piece, there's been this guy that’s been helping me find these pieces. Well. He was the guy who I put back together.” Disbelieving looks, activate.

“Oh? And what was their name?”

“Gaster.” Alphys and Sans had paled and Asgore looked stricken with grief.

“But, he’s dead! That’s impossible!”

“That’s not impossible. Who do you think created the cures for these kid’s sicknesses?”

“Oh. Well then. That is quite the achievement. Was there anything else that happened on your journey?” Your avoiding something Toriel.

“Actually, yeah. Who’s idea was it to cut off the power to Snowdin?! Seriously though. That’s not even funny. The one break I have from being hunted down by monsters and solving puzzles, and my house doesn’t even work like it should. That was just REAL dandy.” Sans could hardly hold back a snort as the others paled at the mention of Snowdin.

“Wait, you’ve been to Dark Snowdin?”

“If that’s what they’re calling it, then sure. The whole place is still going strong with its crazy weather. My house is the only house to survive. I think the city of Snowdin is buried under the snow and ice. The last time I was there, it was up the the brother’s balcony.”

“Holy shit. That’s alot of snow.”

“You’re telling me. I had to walk through that shitstorm in the dark.” Everybody had appeared to have a good laugh at your cold expedition. You think this is funny? Frostbite on the tail is NOTHING to joke about.

“So why is Snowdin dark?” Sans answered that one for you.

“monsters have been dying for a while now. folks were starting to get worried that they’d be next, so we all left Snowdin to move to Waterfall or Hotland. the authorities cut off all sources of power afterwards and blocked the entrance. nobody’s been to Snowdin in two years. hey. wanna go back and check on the place?” You could tell he was being sarcastic.

“Sure! I mean, my house is in that shitstorm. I've had to walk back and forth between here and there so many times. The dark doesn’t bother me as much.” That was true. Your daily routine consisted of going through the tundra, but then again, you were home most of the time doing absolutely nothing. Toriel had stood and made her way over to you, embracing you in a tight hug, much harder than Papyrus. Goat mom got strength.

“Well, we're glad to have you home again.” 

“And I”m glad that I don’t have to go incognito everytime that I step out of the house. It’s nice to see you all again, and I hope it stays this way.”

“Ah! Come here, punk!” Undyne has joined the hug pile. 

“COUNT ME IN ON THE HUGS!” Papyrus has joined the hug pile. Maximum limit exceeded. Abort!

“I hope you don’t mind if I join in.” Asgore has joined the hug pile. Error! Error! Everybody had soon joined the massive hug pile, surrounding you with love and affection. You could’ve cried but you weren’t gonna, no matter how far the feel train had taken you.

“This was a nice chat, but sadly, I have to get up at four in the morning. I must depart for Snowdin, post haste!” The room went quiet once more.

“Are you sure? You could stay with us, if you’d like.” Poor Toriel. You felt for her but your independence was begging to go back home.

“I’m sure. My independence is too strong for me to handle. Don’t worry though. I’m not gonna disappear. Not like these last two times, this time I swear.” They still looked visibly worried but relaxed just a bit.

“Well then. Please don’t forget to visit! We have so much to catch up on! Oh! Wait just a moment!” Toriel scrambled back into the hallway, coming back with a piece of paper. Four addresses were scribbled hastily onto the paper as she handed it to you.

“If you ever need to find us, use this piece of paper. Our addresses have been labeled thoroughly.We already know where your house is. Do come back!” You nodded and stepped out of the house.

“Bye Toriel, Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, Sans, Frisky, and other children! I’ll see ya’ later!”

“Take care!” You set off, the path to Snowdin was gonna be long and dark. Suddenly, an arm linked around your other one. It was Sans.

“Are you trying to get to Snowdin? Can’t you just do your weird teleporting thing?”

“i've been meaning to but I've been busy. plus, we still didn’t get to talk about that thing.”

“What? Gaster?”

“that and other things.”

“Like what?”

“what life are you on as of now?”

“My third.”

“i thought you had four left. what happened?”

“I died resurrecting Gaster.” It sounded humerus when you put it that way. Wait. You snorted, covering your mouth with your paws. Let the giggling ensue.

“what. did you find something humerus?”

“Sans, stop! I just made an unintentional pun with the same pun and you’re not helping!” 

“oh, so i’m starting to rib off on you, huh?”

“Stop it!”

“nah. i think you need a femur.” You glared at him from the corner of your eye, 

“what? don’t like puns?” Sigh.

“No! Yours are the worst!”

“well, I think their clawsome.”

“Dammit Sans!” 

“alright. I'll stop.”

“Thank you. Here’s the tunnel by the way.” The two of you had eventually reached a rock wall. It was near the lily pad room in Waterfall but lead near the sled slopes around Snowdin. You reached behind a jutting rock, moving the rock panel to reveal the hidden tunnel. 

“After you, my fine gentlemen.” He moved into the tunnel and you moved in after him, replacing and fitting the panel back into place. The tunnel wasn’t long, a wide arch opening into the pure darkness of Snowdin. 

“woah. it’s dark in here.”

“It’s always dark. Here, I’ll make some light.” You were about to use your fire magic to light up the cavern when you felt something stab you in the stomach.

“wha- chara! you-” You didn’t get to hear much after that. The knife had impaled you directly in the heart. Too much blood loss. You fell in the snow, it dampening with the crimson hue of your blood.

“hold on kid! just a little longer!” You felt the darkness come closer, and you gave in. Ironic, huh?


	26. More Work To Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...... well, what are you standing around for?

The Wrath Of A Child

You could feel the darkness leaking into your SOULS. The overly familiar arch of light appeared over you, the light of its depths, dim and melancholic. The numbers had displayed the numbers 1-3. As the hand moved to the number two, you could feel a deep pain in your heart. Not from the stabbing, no. Two lives left. Keep this up and you’ll be joining your parents soon. How were they so good at extending their lives? Sigh. The darkness began to recoil, a bright light invading your privacy. Time to wake up. You stretched out your limbs, your spine cracking in approval. 

“What the hell was that?” You shot up, your hair standing up. 

“Oh! You’re up! It’s about time!” You opened your eyes. Undyne was sitting on a couch to your immediate right. Everybody else was in there too. You put a paw to your forehead, a minor headache blossoming from the depths of your head.

“Can someone please explain what’s going on? I feel like someone just tore my brain stem out.”

“What’s a brain stem?”

“Nothing. Human stuff, I guess. Anyway, where am I and why?” Toriel was first to answer.

“It appears that your home is no longer safe.”

“Wait. What do you mean?”

“You cannot return home, young one. I request that you stay here with me.” You blinked slowly.

“How long have I been out?”

“A couple hours, my dear. Are you okay?” Shit. You need to go to Gaster. Like now. He was probably pissed at your late punctuality.

“I’m fine Toriel. But I have to go!” You hastily got to your feet, dusting yourself off. A strong hand had suddenly wrapped around your wrist.

“Wait! You cannot go! You’re not well enough!” Okay, this was just starting to get annoying. Nobody was going to baby you. Not even goat mom. You angrily snatched your arm away from the concerned motherly goat.

“Toriel. I’ve lost seven lives so far and I’m perfectly fine and healthy. I don’t care if I have to drag myself there. I have work to do. Yes, I’ll come right back afterwards. A little stab wound isn’t going to paralyze me. Besides, it’s gone already. I’m out! I’ll be back around dusk.” With that, you hurtled through the door, leaving your group of friends and an angry Undyne behind.  
Your paws skimmed over the grass walkways, the cold breeze whipping through your hair. Shit. You were late. You were never late. Fuck. It was around the early morning so nobody was out, leaving the walkways perfectly empty. It was nice to run. To feel your heart beating faster and faster. To feel your legs connect and leave the ground. But why was breathing so much work? It didn’t take long for you to reach the deserted hallway. A pale white doorway sat at the end of the corridor, it’s silver handle begging you to turn it. You stopped at the door and caught your breath. You turned the handle.

“I told you to be here at five, not seven.” Sigh. There was Gaster, scalding as always. Gaster was sometimes fun to be around, but his patience was thin and punctuality was a pet peeve of his, and the guy had a tongue like sandpaper. You’ve heard him chew out a guy once for not properly handling the delivery of test tubes. You hoped to never be on the receiving end.

“Well, EXCUSE ME! I guess getting stabbed by a demon child doesn’t get paid time off, now does it? Sorry I’m late G. Didn’t expect it, is all.” You heard a sharp intake of breath. Why is everybody so concerned about how many lives you have? It’s none of their business. You don’t go poking into his, so he need to keep his nonexistent one out of yours.

“You got stabbed? Are you alright?”

“Yes, Gaster. If I wasn’t okay, then you’d have to miss out on a day of my fabulosity. What a shame that’d be.” Being spontaneously sarcastic was a gift.

“I guess the sass master is back now, huh?” Ugh. You hated that word: sass. You could be sassy at times, but you never liked the word.

“You asked for the sass master. You’ll get the sass master.” You grabbed your pearly white lab coat from off of the coat rack, pulling it on over your casual clothes and leaving it open. Buttoning it was too stiff and you liked it open. You were intimidating enough as is. You didn’t need to make a kid piss their pants at your overwhelming presence.

“Anyway, we have to stop in town to get some stuff before we set out. Do you have the food ready?” You went to the pantry in the wall and pulled out a crate full of frozen nice cream and a ton of wrapped glamburgers. You could feel the grease pooling at the bottom of the wrapper. The amalgamates seemed to have a big appetite. And a hunger for diabetes.

“Yes, sir!” Gaster had to take care of some secret business in the true lab. Thus, he had to take you with him for assistance.And by assistance, that meant feeding the amalgamates and being his messenger to lug stuff from one room to the other. But this time, unlike the last time you were there, you get to goof around and do random shit. It sounded like your typical day. And your typical days were fun days.

“Then let us set off. Hurry! If we miss the morning slumber than we’ll get caught in the traffic.”

“Okay.” The two of you set out the door, locking it behind you. Even though you didn’t have to, as the door would vanish when you left, you still took precautions. You could never be too sure. The cold breeze ruffled your lab coat, unsettling the perfect sleeves you’d rolled up. Damn! Oh well. It’s always fun to hit Gaster in the back of the head with your sleeve slack. He did hit back fiercely, though. You remembered the one time when you guys had a full on sleeve brawl in the laboratory. Heh. Good times.  
Before you knew it, the town came into view. A few random monsters were about, chatting with the marketers but that was all. You followed Gaster through the marketplace, stopping with him at a weird shop. The guy who ran it sold strange nick-knacks and weird elixirs. Black magic or something you didn’t want to know about was often put up for sale. The two were engaged in a vigorous conversation. You didn’t like to eavesdrop so you tried to zone out. Yeah, you tried. It’s kinda hard to try when you spot your entire group of friends eyeing you from across the marketplace. Nosy fuckers. Welp. You decided to fix your sleeves in the meantime. As of now, they were drooping down to your thighs. You managed to fix the left one, rolling it up seven to eight times before it stopped coming undone. Success! Now for the right one.

“Are you done fiddling with your sleeves?” Gaster had finished with his conversation, a strange paper bag in his arms. You were so close to finishing! Oh well. You’ll save it for another time.

“Yep!”

“Let’s move.” With that, the two of you moved swiftly past your friends, not even sparing them a glance as you passed. It took a long while but you successfully got into the true lab. Gaster had built a secret passageway through time and space there, as you both couldn’t sneak your way in since the guard had taken post there. And as usual, the true lab was once again, darker than the vacuum of space. 

“You’re free to explore but-” A loud rumbling growl ripped through the silence. Was it the amalgamates? 

“Uh. Was that the amalgamates?”

“I… I think so?” What do you mean, ‘you don’t think so?’

“So that wasn’t the amalgamates?”

“Never have I heard the amalgamates make a sound like THAT. Stay close and prepare the snacks.”

“Aye aye, captain!” You brought your tail around to reach the crate. Your tail could support a lot of things easily so you just carried it in your tail. Easy access with barely any effort. You ripped out a glamburger from inside its plastic case and heated it. The meaty aroma filled the lab, spare bits of glitter popping like miniature fireworks. A louder growl rumbled from not far away. 

“Hold on. We need to go back. Something’s not right.” Before you could reply, a black goo began to emerge from the the arch of the hallway. It moaned and gurgled with agony, a gray slime pouring out of a strange orifice. A mass of the goo shot out, creating a limb of something. It was flat at the bottom, with strange horns and claws poking out from the depths. The thing’s shape kept morphing, the body dripping and reshaping itself to create something entirely different. You took a step back and slowly drew out the glamburger. Perhaps it was just drawn by your food? The creature let out an ear-piercing shriek and threw itself at you. Nope.  
You dropped the crate and dodged the attack, your claws slipping on the polished tile. The creature knocked away the food crate, intentionally ignoring Gaster and focusing on you. You could feel something locking it’s eyes on you. Another creature came from the hallway. It was a sight not to be fond of. It had multiple pieces of flesh missing. Feathers were crumpled and rotting, leaving a trail of the things behind it. You could see two massive gouges on the sides of it’s body, muscle and bone clearly visible. It had a huge piece of something missing from its face, thus the whole mouth was visible to see: teeth, mouth, everything. There were no eyes, only dark, bloody sockets. It’s feet were clawed on the edges, visible parasitic limbs showing on the outside. It twitched constantly, a low growl rising from it’s throat. Now just what was going on in here? You could hear Gaster audibly gagging in the corner. He obviously couldn’t handle the gore. 

“Gaster, you need to go! They want me!”

“But-”

“You ass! Just go already! I got it!” The two creatures were quickly advancing on you. Gaster had remained where he was. The poor guy couldn’t physically use magic to attack. He could only use it to keep his body together. Thus, you had to handle it. The feathered creature had lunged for you. You were pinned between them and the creature with the excessive amount of goo. You rolled away from the two, flicking your arm out to the side. Four minions materialized next to you, two for each creature. You were about to fire another command before Gaster called out for you to stop.

“Those are the amalgamates! There’s just something very, very wrong with them! Don’t attack them!”

“Then what do you suggest I do then?” You kept the creatures at bay, burning them when they decided to lash out. You knew to never corner an angry beast but this was a different situation. You had to protect Gaster. 

“We have to get past them and find the DT machine!”

“What if there’s more waiting for us?”

“Then we’ll have to power through!” Alrighty then. You expanded the radius of your magic, using it to envelop Gaster. Five minions had materialized around him, protecting him from every angle. You flared your fire magic, keeping the two other creatures at bay. The hissed and snarled at you, the goo creature swiping a clawed hand at you. You ducked and scorched it with your magic, making sure that it pierced beyond the slimy surface. It gave a yelp and backed away into the corner.

“Let’s go!” Your four minions gathered around you, Gaster following with his own. You summoned four more minions to keep the two creatures at their post. The light from your fire illuminated the walls of the true lab. It was just you, Gaster, and a never ending dark hallway. You were just expecting a jump-scare at any moment. The walls seemed to flash by, you finding yourself in the room with the skull in a couple minutes.

“Guard the exits! I’ll check the cameras!” Gaster had ran into the room on the far right with his own minions, leaving you to watch over the dark and treacherous hallway. It was fucking dark as shit out there. Suddenly, another creature had launched itself at you from the depths. A minion had intercepted it, catching their neck between their teeth and slamming it into the near wall. A strange fluid had erupted from the connection point, oozing from the strange creature.The creature was… oh god. Oh dear god. An old memory suddenly flashed through your head. Two actually. This was the one reason you couldn’t bear to give up your human soul. The one thing you couldn’t bear to witness. A long time ago, when you’d been exploring Hotland, you knew two guards who had bared witness to an act of monster cannibalism. You didn’t know it at first but you found that out eventually. You remember them saying something about hiding the bodies. You never understood what they meant, but now you do. Sweet Jesus. It wasn’t monster bodies they were trying to hide. It was human bodies they were trying to hide. Why did it take you so long to figure that out? You could only imagine the pain this guy went through...  
If you were to give up your human soul, you’d have to expel all of your physical matter. If you had known just how fucked up it was, you would’ve taken it more seriously. Dear lord. You could just barely make out the remainders of the charred and deformed skin. Blood and other fluids dripped out onto the floor. From what you could make out, the remains of their intestines were hanging out, the majority inflamed and puffy from exposure to concentrated magic. The lungs were nothing, shriveled up and rotting. There was no stomach or liver. That was gone. The other fluid along with the blood? The acid of the stomach along with a soup of the digested heart, kidneys, and the bladder was leaking out of the bottom. The bones of the former human were heavily broken down, the other bits puncturing other organs. The spine was a whole different story. The skull had been beaten in, the whole back side missing. Bits of their brain was exposed, the two hemispheres melted and leaking away into the body. It was a gory mess. This was what happened when a human’s SOUL was injected with a lethal amount of magic. Their body wouldn’t be able to function properly and would attempt to expel all of their organs and body mass to use the magic. You could only imagine the pain of your body attempting to turn itself inside out. That human… no. That THING was barely surviving off of it’s left over magic in which it had no control over. These weren’t amalgamates. These were humans that had been long gone.  
The other two creatures were probably other magical experiments. That explained the smell of rotting flesh in the elevator room, earlier. These were some of the adult humans that had misdemeanor in their souls. You could sense it. The bloody creature in the room, could not move, slumping onto the ground in a pitiful mess. It left it’s fluids on the wall. It began to crawl towards you, a bloody stump reaching for you. You were trembling. You nodded to your minion, wanting to put the guy out of his misery. Your minion latched onto the things head, where it’s frontal lobe used to be. With a quick movement, the minion sank his fangs into the leftover brain of the monster. The heat from the minion began to quickly sink into the creature. You could hear it’s flesh sizzling. You scorched the body, turning it into ashes and backing away from the pile before Gaster got back. Too late.

“I knew it.” Gaster had reappeared from the back room, a videotape in his hands. A mob of more creatures followed him, each cowering behind him. They didn’t look as scary as the other bunch and seemed to be very affectionate towards him, nuzzling his lab coat fearfully.

“These are the amalgamates. Those things that are lurking out there are something entirely different. Somebody had tampered with the evidence in another room. And I know exactly who did it.” Gaster moved past you, towards the machine you used when you resurrected him. 

“It was that demon child from a long time ago. I wish that I could say what they are. I just don’t know what they’re made of-”

“Humans.”

“What?”

“Those things out there are the remains of humans that were injected with too much magic power.” Gaster turned around to face you, his expression dead serious. You faced him with the same expression.

“How would you know that?”

“When a human is exposed to too much magic, their bodies switch over to the new power source immediately. You can’t have a foot in both species unless you have the souls for it. They had to spit up all their physical matter to adjust to the new magic inside them. Their bodies have been mutated and overpowered by the magic. But it’s dark magic. Not your typical everyday magic. The kind that only comes from excessive LV.” 

“Do we kill them then?”

“I suppose we’ll have to. They can’t think for themselves anymore. And the fact that they’re probably in a lot of pain just adds to the inevitable.” The amalgamates looked scared and hungry. Poor things. They must’ve seen some shit.

“Do what you must.” You and Gaster made your way back through the lab, turning on the emergency generator at the front. While he got to his mystery work, you headed back to the front room to dispatch of the mutated creatures. It was too late. Your minions were guarding the two leftover bodies of the creatures. The goo creature had bits of flesh floating in it, the strange gray liquid pooling near their melting limbs. The feather creature had lost all of their feathers, it’s blotchy white skin dotted with angry red welts. They were already dead. You burned the bodies, the smell of rotten flesh, fresh in the air. You didn’t think today would include this type of work but it did. You didn’t notice the hot tears streaming down your cheeks as you headed back to the main lounge. When you’d gotten there, Gaster had already finished up and was waiting for you. He’d already fed the amalgamates and the strange paper bag looked fuller than normal.

“Aren’t they coming with us?”

“No. They can but they prefer not to.”

“Oh.” The amalgamates sensed your worries and came forward to envelop you in a sticky hug. A good kind of sticky. You hugged each amalgamate back, comforting each until they bounded away into the darkness. With that, you and Gaster had left the true lab, leaving through the shortcut that he’d created earlier. It was somewhere around mid afternoon when you’d gotten back. It was silent the whole trip back through Waterfall. As soon as you’d gotten back to the lab, Gaster had stopped you from filling in the day’s reports. 

“You can head out early. It has been the most frightening day, and you might want to get back to your folks.” Your folks?

“Are you sure-”

“Just go. The same time tomorrow. Don’t forget this time!” He gave you a coy smirk. Heh.

“If you say so. I’ll see you tomorrow, G.” You hung up your lab coat and headed out the door, the familiar corridor coming into view. If you didn’t go to see Toriel, she’d throw a fit. Oh well. As you made your way to Toriel’s house, you stopped by the boardwalk on the way. That was… something. Hmm? A small clawed hand had gently poked your arm. You turned your head to look. It was Alphys. She appeared to be fidgeting harshly.

“U-um. Toriel had sent me to find you but I wasn't s-sure where to find you! A-anyways, I need you t-to come with me!” You nodded and followed Alphys. Goat mom had sent out an escort to bring you home safely. Apparently, you had a curfew. Wow goat mom. That’s a new one. Alphys had assured you that she was just worried, and that her motherly instincts had kicked in. On the way there, Alphys had began to tell you about her newest anime. While you didn’t have an opinion on anime, you still listened to her rants, because ignoring her would be rude. Before you knew it, you had safely arrived at the small cottage. The two of you clambered inside the house, Alphys shutting the door behind you. Not surprisingly, everybody was in here. Again. You padded over to your chair, tiredly plopping into it. 

“Are you alright over there?” Undyne was still angry from earlier. There was no need to be so salty, jeez!

“Just dandy, Undyne. Now can you tell me what’s currently going on?”

“Well, we wanted to wait until you were here, but you’re here now, so we’re going to say it. It’s time to go to the barrier!” Hmm? Everybody looked ecstatic, and you knew why. If that was true, then… 

“Oh. I see. Well then, you guys have fun with that! Meanwhile, I’ll be somewhere else.”

“Oh? You’re not coming with us?” Toriel had a disbelieving look on her face, the others following shortly shortly.

“Why would I need to go with you?”

“Well, we were just inviting you to come along and witness the freedom of monsters, but I guess if you’re too busy, then we’ll send you a postcard from the surface.” You shrugged. You didn’t really want to go back up there so soon. Maybe someday, but you just wanted to be free of racism and harsh judgments for a little longer.

“I AM busy. I have to work. You guys can go on without me. Enjoy the surface because i’m not going back there, no way, no how.”

“WHY NOT?”

“Too many bad memories. But hey! Don’t let me stop you! Who knows? Perhaps i’ll stop being a hermit and come visit sometime!”

“Really punk? You’re just gonna sit down here in the dark, by yourself?”

“I mean it. You guys enjoy your adventure. I’ll be busy doing other stuff. But I’m holding you to that postcard thing, Undyne.” There was slight murmuring before the group had started to disperse to their homes. You could feel the tension in the air.You didn’t have to stay here with Toriel, but that icy glare that she was shooting you from across the room was keeping you firmly fixated in your chair. When everyone had left, including the children, she kept her eyes on you.

“Are you gonna keep staring, or…?”

“Are you avoiding us, my child?”

“Eh?”

“Do you not wish to be around us?” Okay. She certainly brings the tension, huh?

“No, Toriel. I just don’t want to go back to the surface. It’ll take a while to readjust but still. And, I have work to do. I can’t just put off work like that. I’m not avoiding you, nor do I have a reason to. You guys enjoy your freedom. I’ll go up there, sooner or later. Just, not now.” There was a long pause of silence before she got up.

“Well. I hope you do come to visit. Goodnight, my child.” 

“Goodnight Toriel.” And with that she left for her room. Turning the light off as she left. Right. She was forcing you to stay with her. You curled up on the couch, a large blanket and a pillow set out purposefully for you. They beckoned to you. You draped the covers over you, resting your head on the pillow. You couldn’t stay awake and think. Sleep first, dream later. With that, you went to sleep, a dream of a burning house haunting lingering in the lurking darkness.


	27. Something To Die For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ............................................................................................................................................................................................................

Everything Gold

Even though the others were quite disappointed at Lion's decision, they had ventured out anyway. It’d taken hours of preparing, packing, etc. Everybody knew the cost of freedom. They knew what would happen when they arrived at the barrier. Asgore had taken the longest to accept the future events at what would happen. Would they fare alright? Would they be okay? It had been the hardest on the poor fellow, him having to accept that his end was near, even if he didn’t like it. Would the monsters get harassed on the surface? Would humans be accepting?   
Toriel was one of the blind fellows in the room, excited and rambling about the surface, and what it would be like after all these years. Everybody was as blind as a person with no eyes, ignorant to the true situation at hand. What they saw was just a ruse. What they would see would be the start of something entirely new.   
Undyne and Papyrus had thrown away their Royal Guard gear, deciding that they would never need it ever again. After what the two had seen in the last four years, they never wanted to strike violence ever again. Not after the bodies. Never again.  
Sans and Alphys had stashed the plans for the drill, not throwing it away in case the plan backfired. They’d hung up their lab coats for the last time.  
The children were giddy to go back home, Frisk vouching to stay with Toriel for the rest of their life. Oliver was much too independent, much like Lion. Sue had places to be, much to his dismay. Franny and Trevor had to go back home to their parents. Marilyn had to go back home too, but promised to keep in touch once they were freed. Claira was sobbing tears of frustration to leave the group, saying that she’d miss them all dearly. Everybody had places to be.   
Some monsters in the underground had stayed, shaming the other monsters who thought that the humans would change their bloody ways. The others, joined the party, venturing with the group towards the barrier, in search of freedom and change. For most, it was blissful. Everybody was smiling. Even Sans, who no longer had a fake grin plastered to his skull. It was sincere and honest. The venture through Waterfall had rallied many monsters, most cheering in anticipation. Hotland had gathered the rest of the crowd, the departing monsters, all eager to go. Even the amalgamates came, and that was saying something. Now, the only place left to go was through the capital and past the barrier. Freedom at last.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You’d went back to your old ways, living in your house despite Toriel’s warnings. It had been two days since the whole stabbing shebang. The group was sad to see you stay but had accepted your decision. You saw them off earlier this morning. Heck, you even cried a little. But you weren’t going back. The humans would do what they normally do when they got scared. The monsters would see. But then again, you could be wrong and they could be slightly friendly to the monsters. Only time would tell. Gaster had expected you to go with the group, him being one to leave much later. But you weren’t going. He could could be leaving at any moment, but you wanted to surprise him with a parting gift. It was a picture of you two, laughing at a bad movie. He would be leaving with the monsters later, much to your dismay. The guy could live a grand life on the surface, IF the humans were nice. He was smart. He’d find his way. And you’d be alone again.   
You’d crossed the threshold of Snowdin slowly, taking the time to gaze at your new surroundings. It had been low of you, but you had agreed for the group’s sake. For every section of Snowdin, the group had put down street lamps, the source of power being geothermal heat. Before they left, Sans and Alphys had rewired the lamps to the CORE, providing a limited power source. You still liked it though. It wasn’t so dark in here, and the shadows didn’t bother you like before. You walked underneath the light of a lamp, the amber glow reflecting off of your snow white hoodie. You lifted up your sweater sleeve and gazed fondly at it. There were some writings scribbled in various colored marker all over the sweatshirt. Undyne’s was the biggest.

“Don’t forget about us! Make sure to come and visit! ~ Undyne”

“We’ll come to visit you! I hope you enjoy the Underground! ~ Alphys”

“DO MAKE SURE TO COME VISIT US SOON, DEAR FRIEND! ~ PAPYRUS”

“Don’t forget that we care about you. Please, come and visit with us. ~ Toriel”

“Somebody’s got to water the flowers. You’ll see me around. ~ Asgore”

“Stay determined! ~ Frisk”

“take care of yourself because somebody really cares about you, kit. ~ sans” 

“Keep being yourself! ~ Oliver”

“It’s no fun to be alone! Come and visit! ~ Franny & Trevor”

“It was nice to see you again, best friend. ~ Sue”

“Make sure to take care of yourself! ~ Claira”

“ We’ll keep you up to date! ~ Marilyn” 

Each corner of your hoodie was covered in small inspirational messages from your friends. There were even some from people you didn’t know. One was from a person called “Muffet”. There was one from Grillby, Monster Kid, Barbara, Gerson, Bob, Nice Cream, the Snowdin shopkeepers, a guy called Burgerpants, and a person who went by the name of Asriel. But what really got you was the message in the middle.

“Friend-Shaped” After all, your friends had surprised you with this as they left for the barrier. The thing went down to your knees, and the inside was lined with thick, white fur. It was oh so cozy and smelled of multiple scents: spaghetti, sushi, ketchup, metal, ozone, cinnamon, butterscotch, noodles, brownies, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and something that faintly smelled like wasabi and sriracha. You buried your muzzle deep into the hoodie. This was your favorite sweater and you’d wear it forever. The marker wouldn’t wash out as it was stitched into the hoodie with magic to keep it from fading. Heh. You looked up at the cavern ceiling. It kept snowing, the snowflakes gently landing in your hair. The tunnel into Waterfall was in your reach. Turning your head to look back at the lights of YOUR Snowdin, you climbed into the tunnel and into Waterfall, leaving the gateway open. Nobody was going to be around to stop you, anyway.  
Waterfall was much quieter than normal. The monsters who had left, had decorated their house in a Christmas fashion, fairy lights taped to the abandoned houses. The lights had been reflected on the cavern walls, creating a pretty aurora for the remaining monsters to see. It was very beautiful. Nonetheless, you had to go say goodbye to Gaster. Maybe he could stitch in his own message. You sighed, a hot cloud of your breath rising into the cold atmosphere of Waterfall. As you walked, you could hear the quiet sounds of the water crashing against the poles of the boardwalk, and the drips of the water falling back into the fray. It was very, very peaceful. You hoped that wherever the group moved to on the surface, that they would be happy, and that the world wouldn’t do them dirty. The oh so familiar corridor had came back into sight, the snowy white door coming into view. You pushed on the handle, the white door slowly swinging open.

“What are you doing here?” Gaster had been sitting back in his chair, his legs propped up on the counters. He’d been reading something off of a piece of paper before you came in. The moment you came in, a sinister look had appeared on his skull. He looked incredibly disturbed.

“I came in to say goodbye. I just thought-”

“YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GO WITH THE OTHERS!” Gaster never shouted at you, unless you fucked up big time. He had gotten out of his chair, now heading towards you.

“What do you mean? I’m staying in the Underground?”

“NO! THE- YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GO AND PROTECT THE OTHERS! FUCK!” 

“Why would I need to protect the others? They’re perfectly fine!”

“NO THEY ARE NOT! DIDN’T YOU GET THE MEMO?!”

“A-apparently not?” He was starting to scare you. The others were perfectly safe, right? There was no need for you to worry, right? He stopped coming towards you, furrowing his bone brows and giving a deep sigh. You started to cower a little.

“The others are in deep trouble. You need to go. If you don’t, this whole timeline will be all for naught. They’re going to kill them if you don’t get there in time.”

“Who’s going to kill them? Ch-”

“Don’t you dare say their name in a place like this. We’ve been getting in the way of their planning for the longest time. You staying behind has probably made their mission, a whole lot easier. The human child you know as Claira had been dead on the inside for a very long time. The demon inside her had possessed her merely to keep their identity secret and hidden. Claira’s SOUL has been kept to break the barrier. If the child manages to stay in disguise until the barrier is broken, then they’ll cause havoc up on the surface. And once they get what they want out of this timeline, they’ll reset over and over and over again. You have to go. You have to protect your friends.”

“But how-”

“Protect your friends from their fate. You’ll know what to do once you get there.” Gaster had pushed you out of the lab, slamming the white door behind you. It vanished as soon as the lock had clicked into place. You summoned one of your minions, the lion appearing in the corridor. It’s bright light had illuminated the somewhat dim hallway. With a sideways leap, you saddled yourself onto the beast. You grabbed it’s fiery mane, nudging its belly with your paw to take off. The dark walls of Waterfall whizzed past, the steady thrum of it’s paws on the hard ground. You rode with your minion, feeling heavy jets of adrenaline and anger flooding your system. It was Chara. That bastard.  
You’d made short work of your surroundings. You could supply your magic with your emotions after all. With a swift leap, your minion had leaped onto the wall, running along its length until it came to Hotland. You skipped the bullshit, your minion leaping onto the multiple platforms and clawing itself up the elevator shafts. The hotel soon came into sight. There was nobody inside. You busted through the place, going around the fountain and into the elevator. It was out of order. You didn’t give a fuck. You melted the metal door and your minion jammed the two of you inside. It clawed itself up the inside shaft of the elevator, arriving at the only other set of doors at the top. You melted those too. You skipped the gray corridor, glancing at the various buildings out in the distance as you galloped past them. It didn’t take long for you to find yourself in a golden yellow hall. You could hear something in the next room over...

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The children’s SOULS had been projected from their body, each glowing a strong hue of their own individual color. Asgore’s SOUL had his left his body, too. Much to everyone’s horror, those whose souls were needed for the barrier, seven human souls and a monster soul, were going to die in this chamber. Despite their futile attempts, their SOULS had permanently left their bodies, floating in a perfect ring around the edge of the chamber. They were charging up a small force of their own, a large charge needed to break the barrier. It would take some time.   
The problem was, only six children stood. The seventh, Claira, was just barely alive. They were bleeding out onto the floor, a stab wound visible in their thigh. It had just barely missed the important blood vessels inside. A small child stood over them, a knife in their grasp. Long red hair hung from their shoulders, a murderous look plastered onto their ghostly pale skin. Chara was barely keeping the kid alive, using their body as a hostage for means of protection. The monsters had been thoroughly helpless to do anything, not wanting to hurt the small dying child, but wanting to go free already. Asgore and the other six children were already in a lot of pain, the life energy from their SOULS slowly being drained. It was at a sinister stalemate. 

“Hahahahahah! I can’t wait to be rid of you all until the next timeline! This time, i’ll be sure to erase all of your memories forever!”

“You sick demon! Why can’t you just leave us alone?!” Toriel had been on the brink of tears, a group of fireballs at the ready. But never to be casted. Chara held a knife to Claira’s neck, a millimeter from slicing into the soft flesh. If Toriel or the others attempted to hurt Chara in anyway, in went the knife, shattering the kindness soul, and preventing them from going free. 

“Because it’s fun to play god! Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like? To have infinite power at your fingertips?”

“No, you sick fuck!” Undyne had a wreath of spears, just waiting for a small distraction to open up.

“Language, language! Any more foul words and i’ll inch this knife closer to your nearby death.” They were out of options. It had always come to this. Whenever a true ending was reached, Chara would show up to take them back to the very beginning. And once again, even with a different ending, another hope for freedom at last had been shattered before their very eyes. 

“I wouldn’t try that if I were you.” A small voice had piped up from the throne room. The speaker was nowhere to be seen. The group had quickly turned their heads, trying to find the speaker.

“Oh? And who says that?” Chara was still kneeling by the body, barely paying attention to the rising figure behind her. The thing went noticed by the others, who’d been careful in directing their attention towards Claira. They heard a small click in the background. The battle had started. Chara had been forcefully ripped from the ground and slammed into the nearby wall. A jutting rock had ripped through her back, shattering her spine. A beast of fire had held Chara to the wall, the knife and the body safely away from them. A lone figure had appeared from the throne room. It was cloaked in a sea of fire, the face being hidden in the shadows. 

“Hahahahahahah! A lone monster? What are you gonna do? I’ll just-” A huge mass of fire had risen above the lone figure, an ear-shattering caterwaul ripping through the air. A larger beast of fire had risen, tendrils of white and blue fire mixing in the still air. The atmosphere was much hotter, the others sweating vigorously. It let out another screech, it’s claws ripping the group apart.

“I don’t have time for your bullshit. You’re not going to kill my friends. And if you’re planning on it-” The child had suddenly been surrounded by a wall of the smaller beasts. A loud growl had sounded from right beside their ear.

“-YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO KILL ME FIRST.” Chara had ripped themselves away from the beast, grabbing for their knife. A lone minion had slammed into her, sending her rolling across the cavern floor. Without hesitation, Chara had instead opted for using the power of Claire’s SOUL, the party too powerless to stop them. Now, filled with the vast power of a human SOUL, they had a chance. Creating a long, sharp knife in their hands, they were more than ready to spar. It was against a worthy opponent after all. The battle was just getting started.   
Chara had launched herself forward at the body of Clair, a powerful beam of light, striking them midway in their journey. They slammed into the wall, a sickening crunch splitting the air. Before their opponent could finish them, Chara had decided to wing it. They threw their knife far away from them, straight at the body of Claira. It connected. The soul of KINDNESS had shook harshly, but remained unchanged. Chara had full control over their soul now. Now, the monsters couldn’t go free. Chara grinned. They still won. But they didn’t.   
The larger fire beast had split into four, creating giant minions. Chara had dodged the first one but the second came faster, catching her by the neck and tossing her body into the air. The third had intercepted her mid air, launching her back into the ground. Chara still had one thing that they had to protect. The remainders of their own shattered SOUL. The pieces that had latched onto other souls in countless timelines. That was what you were aiming for. Destroy those, and you’d destroy them, forever. But you had to destroy Claire’s soul.   
Chara had rolled away from the crater only to be pinned down onto the ground. Another set of beasts had kept her pinned, these stronger than the others. They could take a couple blows. Chara had tried to stab one, but the knife had been caught in one of the beast’s mouth. It disintegrated the blade, locking their teeth into Chara’s arm, and biting down. This was Chara’s body. No matter what she did, she couldn’t push away any feelings. So this time she felt the intense wave of pain that coursed through her body. Within seconds, more and more minions had gathered, the fuckers lining every inch of the cavern. They’d began to charge up their beams. The souls of Chara and Claire had came forward, the black bits of Chara’s SOUL holding onto Claire’s tightly. With every ounce of their strength, the beasts had fired, the cavern engulfed in the blazing white light. Raw magic had crackled through the air, the only sound over the static being the sound of two SOULS shattering. And then it was over.  
The body of Chara had been disintegrated, nothing but ashes and the smell of burning flesh. Their SOULS had also perished in the blast.

“What-” You stepped out from the shadows, your fiery beasts vanishing without a trace behind you. The body of Claire lay useless. It was over. No more anything. But you still had something to do.

“Lion?! You-” You beckoned out your SOULS, the souls splitting apart almost immediately. While you couldn’t save Claire, you could do something that could equal her sacrifice. Something that would be worth throwing away your final lives away for. The soul of Asgore had stopped charging up, your monster soul taking it’s place. One life to die for him. Your other soul, the human SOUL, had finally showed it’s true colors. It was a dark emerald green, swirling with faint colors of teal and purple. You had the attribute of KINDNESS, the perfect substitute for Claire. The last life to die for her. You would do this one thing to help them. It would finally give meaning to your life. Your human soul had taken up it’s place beside the six other human souls, circling with your monster soul to fill in the gaps. The process began again, starting where it stopped.

“What are you doing?! You can’t-” Toriel had put a paw on your shoulder, tears falling freely from her eyes. The others were rushing towards you in a blind panic.

“It’s the least I can do. The monsters deserve freedom, and the monsters need their king. I can spare the rest of my lives. After all, what do I have to live for?”

“WAIT!” The souls began to circle around the end of the cavern, the dim rays of twilight shining through the barrier. The end of your journey had finally come. With a final shudder, you let the remaining life from your body leave, the other children doing the same. The last thing you felt was the feeling of every atom in your body being ripped apart. The power had pooled into a vast ball of light, expanding and covering the whole cave in it’s light until… The light in the cavern had ceased, the bodies of the sacrificed gone. The barrier had shattered, and with it, the monsters were free to roam the surface, forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been fun writing this story and replying to your comments. But nothing can stay the way that it is. It was time to end this story because after all, stories are meant to be shared. I hope that you remember, that sometimes, and ending cannot be happy and I wanted to make this ending just so that there will be no sequels. All of my imagination and creation has been expended on this current story. To write another would invalidate the work and I want to share only my raw creativity. Thank you for reading.


	28. The Final Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been three years since the group has disbanded. For once, they've gotten together and decided to take a trip down memory lane...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was just kidding about now being able to post it. I'll be making another Undertale story with the exception that it's an entirely different story with the same characters. But that will take a while. So you'll just have to be patient.

Memory

It had been quite a time on the surface for the monsters. After the group had sacrificed themselves to the barrier, the rest to the group had stumbled into freedom, produced from sadness and despair. It wasn’t exactly everything they were hoping for.  
The humans did not take kindly to them at first, pushing them away with all they had. Eventually, the kind ones had stepped forth to welcome the new arrivals, giving hope to those who survived the horrors of the underground. Everybody had gradually adjusted to the monsters and their story. But everything was so quiet.  
It was only them, after all. Toriel, Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, and Sans were the only survivors of the main group. Sue, Claira, Franny, Trevor, Marilyn, Frisk, and Lion had all given up their souls to break the barrier. They’d seen the brunt of it, watching as their friends of a long time turned to nothing in the faint rays of twilight. That the only thing they left behind was their clothes. Only one piece of each. Sue left behind his favorite jacket, Claira left behind her dress, Franny left behind her favorite yellow T-shirt and so did Trevor with his gray one, Marilyn left behind her red sweater, Frisk had left behind Sans’s borrowed jacket, but Lion… She left behind the gift sweater that they’d all pitches in to make. It still had the magic of the dead kid’s souls stitched in. Lion left that behind, along with her whole house. The house that was full of memories. They each stored the clothing, but one piece was worn by one person. Papyrus had been gaven Lion’s hoodie, the thing going down to his hips. It fit him quite nicely. And in times of depression and fits of loneliness, he wrapped himself in the sweater and remembered the good times. It smelled of vanilla and citrus. Just like her house did...  
After that had happened, they all split apart. Toriel had taken residence near the cold Appalachian mountains, Asgore had stayed near Mt. Ebott, Undyne had moved near the western coast, Alphys had moved to Japan somewhere, Papyrus had moved to Italy, and Sans… well… nobody really knew where he went. It was… disturbing when the two brothers split apart. Sans didn’t need to keep 'protecting’ his brother now, and so the two split apart. Papyrus had been fine for the first couple of days until he snapped. He needed the comfort of his smaller brother who was no longer there. To hear his terrible jokes again. To have him in the empty house to tell his night terrors to. To be comforted by his prescence. But try as they might, nobody could find him. It wasn’t until a cold day in August, that they found him. 

The group had decided to meet up, everybody flying back to Mt. Ebott for a day of catching up. Sans had been seen around the mountain by Asgore, who’d told him about the get-together, so Sans came too. Apparently, he’d been touring the world. Papyrus had shown up third, encasing his brother in a soul-shattering squeeze. The poor guy had cried a lot that day. Alphys had came in fourth, looking older and wiser with age. Undyne came in fifth, happy to reunite with Alphys and to pester Papyrus and Sans again. Toriel had came last, tears of joy flowing from seeing her old friends again. It had been three years since the barrier had been broken.  
Each had their own jobs in their own respective places. Asgore was managing his own company, producing monster goods for the monsters on the surface. Sans was teaching quantum physics at a university in London. Papyrus was the manager of a busy restaurant in Italy. Alphys was creating new technology with Japan’s greatest minds. Undyne had joined the military, and had been on reserve for a couple days. Toriel was teaching monster history and mathematics at a school in New York. Everybody had their own life. Despite Papyrus’s antics to get Sans to come home, Sans had a life of his own and that meant that he had to stay in London. But that was okay, because today they were going to do something together: visit the zoo! They’d been planning this for the longest time.

“Is everybody ready to go?”

“YES, YOUR MAJESTY!”

“Papyrus.”

“Oops! I meant, Asgore!” 

“Can we hurry up and leave?”

“I suppose. Well then. Off we go.” Asgore had started the car, accelerating off and down the road. They were going to a new zoo that the officials had put in Ebott City recently to attract tourists. Thankfully, there wasn’t many people there, as Undyne hated busy places.

“Park the car! Park the car!”

“Alright. Hold your seahorses!”

“*snort*!”

“God dammit.” Sans and Toriel were in the backseat, giggling like madmen. Everybody else scowled at the unintentional pun.

“I meant, hold your horses, Undyne. We’re already here.” The zoo had come into view, it’s surrounding golden walls gleaming with the light of the afternoon sun. 

“Yus!” Undyne had leaped out of the now parked car, Papyrus following suit.

“Wait! We have to stick together!” Toriel had made sure everyone had stuck together, setting off into the zoo to peruse it's collection of fauna. The artic creatures were cunning, knowing exactly when to look at the passing viewers. Sans had pointed and laughed at the mountain goats.

“hey tori! i found your cousin!”

“Oh hush!” Asgore and the others merely sniggered as the mountain goat had started to vigorously chew grass. Undyne had gazed longingly at the aquariums, and Alphys had frowned at the lizards on display. Papyrus had taken joy in the chinchillas, but Sans had found the holy grail of the zoo. Something that struck a certain set of memories in his mind.

“holy shit.” At the center of the zoo lay a huge exhibit, one of the only ones that came from the continent of Africa. A large habitat for lions. Everybody had stopped what they were doing to come look. Some had taken to curling up in giant piles, while others were grooming each other and pawing at the ground. It was when a single cub came to the front of the exhibit that Undyne had began to quietly cry. Everybody had. The lone cub flopped down onto the ground, facing the group with a curious amber gaze. It twitched it's ears and let out the smallest of mewls. They remembered Lion, the beasts in front of them being her own namesake. The cub had gotten to it’s paws, letting out another mewl before heading back to the it's group. And their cries grew louder...


End file.
